Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9
सूर्यवत्स प्रतपिता दुर्हृदां हृदि नेत्रयोः । सोमवत्सुहृदामासीन्मानसेषु स्वकेष्वऽपि
sūryavatsa pratapitā durhṛdāṃ hṛdi netrayoḥ | somavatsuhṛdāmāsīnmānaseṣu svakeṣva'pi
അവൻ സൂര്യനെപ്പോലെ ദുഷ്ടഹൃദയരുടെ ഹൃദയത്തെയും കണ്ണുകളെയും ദഹിപ്പിച്ചു; ചന്ദ്രനെപ്പോലെ സുഹൃത്തുക്കളുടെയും സ്വന്തം ഹിതൈഷികളുടെയും മനസ്സുകളിൽ ശീതളമായി വസിച്ചു.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Vipa-indra / best of brāhmaṇas
Scene: A split-symbolic tableau: Divodāsa radiates like the sun toward hostile figures shrinking back, while a cool moonlit aura surrounds friends and citizens who look reassured; the king remains centered, composed.
FAQs
Dharma expresses itself as discernment: firmness toward hostility and compassion toward the virtuous are both aspects of righteous leadership.
The verse supports the Kāśī narrative by praising the ruler associated with Vārāṇasī; the site is implicit rather than named here.
None; it is a character-description using sun-and-moon imagery.