Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60
यस्याक्षिपक्ष्मसंकोचाज्जगत्संकोचमेत्यदः । विकस्वरं विकासाच्च कस्य पूज्यतमो न सः
yasyākṣipakṣmasaṃkocājjagatsaṃkocametyadaḥ | vikasvaraṃ vikāsācca kasya pūjyatamo na saḥ
ആരുടെ കൺപോളകൾ അടയുമ്പോൾ ഈ ജഗത്ത് ചുരുങ്ങുന്നു, തുറക്കുമ്പോൾ വ്യാപിച്ചു വിരിയുന്നു—അവൻ ആരുടെ ദൃഷ്ടിയിൽ ഏറ്റവും പൂജ്യനല്ല?
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Viśveśvara/Śiva as cosmic lord context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cosmic Śiva whose half-closed eyes cause the universe to fold inward; when eyes open, lotuses bloom and worlds expand—depicted as concentric realms emanating from his gaze.
FAQs
Śiva is the cosmic lord whose will governs the universe’s contraction and expansion; therefore devotion to him is the highest reverence.
Kāśī is the implied sacred setting of this teaching within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s praise of Śiva-worship.
No specific rite is named here; the verse supports the theological basis for pūjā—Śiva is ‘pūjyatama’ (most worship-worthy).