Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
नारायणेति नरकार्णव तारणेति दामोदरेति मधुहेति चतुर्भुजेति । विश्वंभरेति विरजेति जनार्दनेति क्वास्तीह जन्म जपतां क्व कृतांतभीतिः
nārāyaṇeti narakārṇava tāraṇeti dāmodareti madhuheti caturbhujeti | viśvaṃbhareti virajeti janārdaneti kvāstīha janma japatāṃ kva kṛtāṃtabhītiḥ
‘നാരായണ’, ‘നരകസമുദ്രത്തിൽനിന്ന് തരിക്കുന്നവൻ’, ‘ദാമോദര’, ‘മധുഹ’, ‘ചതുര്ഭുജ’, ‘വിശ്വംഭര’, ‘വിരജ’, ‘ജനാർദന’—ഇങ്ങനെ ജപിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് ഇവിടെ പുനർജന്മ എവിടെ? കൃതാന്തഭയം എവിടെ?
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee chanting while a dark ocean labeled ‘naraka-arṇava’ recedes; Yama’s shadow fades in the background; above, a four-armed Viṣṇu appears as protective light, with the names forming a garland around the devotee.
FAQs
Remembrance of the Lord’s names grants liberation-oriented fearlessness—overcoming rebirth and the terror of death.
The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context frames the teaching; the verse itself focuses on nāma-japa rather than naming a specific Kāśī tirtha.
Chanting (japa) of these Viṣṇu epithets is recommended as a liberating practice.