Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3
उवाच च प्रसन्नात्मा स्तुतश्चारणमागधैः । प्रार्थितो देवकन्याभिस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति चक्षणम्
uvāca ca prasannātmā stutaścāraṇamāgadhaiḥ | prārthito devakanyābhistiṣṭha tiṣṭheti cakṣaṇam
അവൻ പ്രസന്നഹൃദയത്തോടെ സംസാരിച്ചു; ചാരണന്മാരും മാഗധന്മാരും അവനെ സ്തുതിച്ചു; ദേവകന്യകൾ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും അപേക്ഷിച്ചു—“ഒരു ക്ഷണം നില്ക്കൂ, നില്ക്കൂ” എന്ന്।
Agastya (continuing narration)
Listener: Sage audience within the frame
Scene: Śivaśarmā, calm and radiant, moves upward; Cāraṇas and Māgadhas sing with instruments and garlands; celestial maidens with pleading gestures ask him to stay a moment, while a luminous path continues beyond them.
FAQs
A life aligned with dharma and tīrtha-merit is shown as worthy of celestial recognition, yet the righteous remain inwardly calm.
The immediate verse describes heavenly praise; the larger frame remains the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s celebration of merit gained through sacred travel rooted in Kāśī.
No ritual is prescribed; it narrates the honor accorded to the meritorious traveler.