Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82
गणावूचतुः । पुराऽसौ भृगुदायादो गत्वा वाराणसीं पुरीम् । अंडजस्वेदजोद्भिज्जजरायुज गतिप्रदाम्
gaṇāvūcatuḥ | purā'sau bhṛgudāyādo gatvā vārāṇasīṃ purīm | aṃḍajasvedajodbhijjajarāyuja gatipradām
ພວກຄະນະ (Gaṇa) ກ່າວວ່າ: “ໃນກາລກ່ອນ ທາຍາດແຫ່ງພຣະິສີພຣຶກຸນັ້ນ ໄດ້ໄປຍັງນະຄອນວາຣານະສີ ຜູ້ປະທານຄະຕິອັນສູງສຸດແກ່ສັດທັງປວງ—ເກີດຈາກໄຂ່ ຈາກເຫື່ອ ຈາກງອກ ແລະຈາກຄັນ.”
Gaṇas (Śiva’s attendants)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī / Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Suvrata
Scene: The Gaṇas narrate Śukra’s arrival in Vārāṇasī, depicted as a luminous city whose sanctity embraces all forms of life—birds, insects, plants, mammals—symbolically gathered under Kāśī’s protective aura.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as universally salvific—granting auspicious destiny beyond birth-category distinctions.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) itself—the paramount śiva-kṣetra and gati-pradā city.
Not explicit here; the verse introduces pilgrimage to Kāśī as the foundational act.