Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
अद्यैव किं न गच्छेयं काशीं ब्रह्मन्स्वमायया । दिवोदासं स्वधर्मस्थं न तूल्लंघितुमुत्सहे
adyaiva kiṃ na gaccheyaṃ kāśīṃ brahmansvamāyayā | divodāsaṃ svadharmasthaṃ na tūllaṃghitumutsahe
ಹೇ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನ್, ನನ್ನ ಸ್ವಮಾಯಾಶಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಇಂದುಲೇ ಕಾಶಿಗೆ ಏಕೆ ಹೋಗಬಾರದು? ಆದರೆ ಸ್ವಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿರನಾದ ದಿವೋದಾಸನನ್ನು ಮೀರುವ ಧೈರ್ಯ ನನಗಿಲ್ಲ.
Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (frame)
Scene: Śiva contemplates going to Kāśī instantly by divine power but refrains, acknowledging Divodāsa’s steadfast dharma; Brahmā stands nearby as counselor, while Kāśī glows in the distance, unreachable by mere force.
FAQs
Dharma is honored even by the divine; righteous kingship (svadharma) is not casually violated, even for access to a supreme sacred place.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), desired immediately even by Śiva, yet approached within the boundaries of dharma.
None; the verse emphasizes dharmic restraint and the narrative of Divodāsa’s governance in Kāśī.