Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47
दाक्षिणात्य इह प्राप्तस्त्वेतया सह कांतया । ध्यायामि लिंगमेतच्च प्रार्थयामि न किंचन
dākṣiṇātya iha prāptastvetayā saha kāṃtayā | dhyāyāmi liṃgametacca prārthayāmi na kiṃcana
“ഞാൻ ദക്ഷിണദേശത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഈ പ്രിയ ഭാര്യയോടൊപ്പം ഇവിടെ എത്തിയതാണ്. ഈ ലിംഗത്തെ ധ്യാനിക്കുന്നു; ഒന്നും യാചിക്കുന്നില്ല.”
King Vṛddhakāla (as quoted within Skanda’s narration)
Type: temple
Listener: Sages (frame) / aged tapasvin within episode
Scene: A royal couple, travel-worn yet serene, stands before a liṅga in Kāśī; the king declares he seeks nothing, only meditates—hands folded, eyes half-closed, wife beside him in quiet support.
FAQs
The highest devotion in a tīrtha is niṣkāma—worship of Śiva without bargaining for worldly rewards.
Kāśī is affirmed as a pan-Indian pilgrimage destination, drawing devotees even from the far South.
Dhyāna (meditation) on the liṅga, with an attitude of non-asking (niṣkāma-prārthanā).