Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55
न ननाम महादेवं न च चक्रे प्रदक्षिणम् । अतएव हि सा देवी न गता पुनरागता
na nanāma mahādevaṃ na ca cakre pradakṣiṇam | ataeva hi sā devī na gatā punarāgatā
അവൾ മഹാദേവനെ നമസ്കരിച്ചില്ല; പ്രദക്ഷിണയും ചെയ്തില്ല. അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ദേവി പോയെങ്കിലും പിന്നെ മടങ്ങിവന്നില്ല.
Narrator (deduced: Skanda to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī) (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Audience within the frame narration (contextual)
Scene: A stark contrast: Mahādeva’s shrine stands serene while Devī departs without bowing or circumambulating; the empty space around the liṅga emphasizes the missed act.
FAQs
Core devotional acts—namaskāra and pradakṣiṇā—are not optional; neglecting them leads to loss of auspicious protection and right outcomes.
Kāśī’s Shaiva sacred order is implied: Mahādeva’s presence anchors the dharma of the place, and worship there safeguards the pilgrim.
Namaskāra (bowing) to Mahādeva and pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) are explicitly referenced.