Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94
अगस्तिरुवाच । श्रुत्वा सौरीं कथमेतामप्सरोलोकसंयुताम् । न दरिद्रो भवेत्क्वापि नाधर्मेषु प्रवर्तते
agastiruvāca | śrutvā saurīṃ kathametāmapsarolokasaṃyutām | na daridro bhavetkvāpi nādharmeṣu pravartate
അഗസ്ത്യൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു: അപ്സരാലോകവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ഈ സൗരീകഥ ശ്രവിക്കുന്നവൻ എവിടെയും ദരിദ്രനാകുകയില്ല; അധർമ്മത്തിലേക്കും പ്രവൃത്തിക്കുകയില്ല.
Agastya
Tirtha: Saurī-kathā (within Kāśī-māhātmya)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Other sages / interlocutor in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual)
Scene: Agastya, seated as a venerable sage, speaks with conviction to fellow sages; behind him appear faint celestial dancers (apsarases) and a solar glow, symbolizing the Saurī narrative’s heavenly linkage and its power to bestow prosperity and dharma.
FAQs
Sacred hearing (śravaṇa) not only grants merit but also reforms conduct, turning one away from adharma.
The dialogue occurs in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa tradition centered on Kāśī, even when celestial realms are referenced.
The emphasized practice is listening to the Sun-related sacred narrative (saurī kathā) as a dharmic observance.