Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5
कल्पायुषो वसंत्यत्र तपसा धूतकल्मषाः । विष्णुस्मरण संक्षीण समस्तक्लेशसंचयाः
kalpāyuṣo vasaṃtyatra tapasā dhūtakalmaṣāḥ | viṣṇusmaraṇa saṃkṣīṇa samastakleśasaṃcayāḥ
ഇവിടെ കല്പായുസ്സുള്ളവർ വസിക്കുന്നു; തപസ്സാൽ പാപമലിന്യം കഴുകിപ്പോയവരും, വിഷ്ണുസ്മരണത്താൽ സമസ്ത ക്ലേശസഞ്ചയം ക്ഷയിച്ചവരുമാണ് അവർ।
Two gaṇas (divine attendants)
Scene: A vision of Maharloka’s residents: serene ascetics and luminous beings, long-lived, engaged in tapas and constant remembrance of Viṣṇu; the atmosphere is calm and radiant.
FAQs
Austerity and constant remembrance of God cleanse sin and dissolve suffering; true merit is inner purification, not merely residence in a higher realm.
The verse describes Maharloka’s sanctity; the broader Kāśī Khaṇḍa context links such merit to sacred living and pilgrimage ethos, though no specific Kāśī-tīrtha is named here.
It highlights tapas (austerity) and viṣṇu-smaraṇa (remembrance of Viṣṇu) as transformative practices.