Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । उमापते महेशान सर्वज्ञ वर एष नः । काशी कदापि न त्याज्या भवता भवतापहृत्
brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | umāpate maheśāna sarvajña vara eṣa naḥ | kāśī kadāpi na tyājyā bhavatā bhavatāpahṛt
ബ്രാഹ്മണർ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഉമാപതേ, ഹേ മഹേശാന, ഹേ സർവ്വജ്ഞ! ഇതാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ വരം: ഹേ ഭവതാപഹർത്താ, നിങ്ങൾ കാശിയെ ഒരിക്കലും ഉപേക്ഷിക്കരുത്।
Brāhmaṇas
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: Brāhmaṇas with folded hands address Umāpati Maheśāna before a liṅga shrine; behind them Kāśī’s ghats glow at dawn. Their boon is depicted as a protective circle of Śiva’s presence encircling the city.
FAQs
Kāśī’s greatness rests on Śiva’s abiding presence; devotees seek not worldly gifts but the perpetuity of that liberating guardianship.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), prayed to remain forever under Śiva’s protection and presence.
No ritual act is prescribed; the verse records a devotional request (vara) centered on Śiva’s non-departure from Kāśī.