Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89
विद्या धनानि सदनानि गजाश्वभृत्याः स्रक्चंदनानि वनिताश्च नितांत रम्याः । स्वर्गोप्यगम्य इह नोद्यमभाजिपुंसि वाराणसीत्वसुलभा शलभादिमुक्तिः । धात्रा धृतानि तुलया तुलनामवैतुं वैकुंठमुख्यभुवनानि च काशिका च । तान्युद्ययुर्लघुतयान्यगियं गुरुत्वात्तस्थौ पुरीह पुरुषार्थचतुष्टयस्य
vidyā dhanāni sadanāni gajāśvabhṛtyāḥ srakcaṃdanāni vanitāśca nitāṃta ramyāḥ | svargopyagamya iha nodyamabhājipuṃsi vārāṇasītvasulabhā śalabhādimuktiḥ | dhātrā dhṛtāni tulayā tulanāmavaituṃ vaikuṃṭhamukhyabhuvanāni ca kāśikā ca | tānyudyayurlaghutayānyagiyaṃ gurutvāttasthau purīha puruṣārthacatuṣṭayasya
ວິຊາ, ຊັບສິນ, ເຮືອນຄອບຄອງ, ຊ້າງມ້າແລະບໍລິວານ, ພວງມາລາແລະຈັນທະນາ, ພ້ອມທັງນາງຜູ້ງາມຢ່າງຍິ່ງ—ແມ່ນແຕ່ສະຫວັນກໍ—ສໍາລັບຜູ້ພາກພຽນໃນທີ່ນີ້ບໍ່ຍາກ. ແຕ່ໂມກສະທີ່ໃນວາຣານະສີງ່າຍດັ່ງແມງມອດຫຼຸດພົ້ນ ບໍ່ໄດ້ງ່າຍແບບນັ້ນໃນທີ່ອື່ນ. ພຣະຜູ້ສ້າງໄດ້ວາງໄວກຸນຖະ ແລະໂລກສໍາຄັນອື່ນໆ ພ້ອມກາສີກາ ໄວ້ໃນຕາຊັ່ງເພື່ອທົດລອງນ້ໍາໜັກ; ໂລກເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນລອຍຂຶ້ນເພາະເບົາ ແຕ່ກາສີຢືນມັ່ນດ້ວຍຄວາມໜັກແຫ່ງຄຸນ—ນີ້ແມ່ນນະຄອນແຫ່ງປຸຣຸສາຣຖະສີ່ (ທັມມະ, ອັດຖະ, ກາມະ, ໂມກສະ).
Skanda (as narrator/teacher in Kāśī Khaṇḍa, typically addressing Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Vārāṇasī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis in Naimiṣāraṇya (frame) / internal interlocutors of Kāśī-māhātmya (contextual)
Scene: Brahmā (Dhātṛ) sets Vaikuṇṭha and other lokas on a great balance against Kāśī; the lokas rise as light while Kāśī remains heavy and steady, radiating with Śiva’s presence; pilgrims and ghāṭs hinted in the background.
FAQs
Worldly attainments—even heaven—are secondary; Kāśī is praised as uniquely potent for mokṣa, embodying and surpassing all four puruṣārthas.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī (Kāśikā), presented as the supreme sacred city whose spiritual “weight” exceeds even Vaikuṇṭha and other worlds.
No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse; it emphasizes the inherent salvific power of residing in or attaining Kāśī.