Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8
अथ विज्ञापयांचक्रे गौरी गिरिशमेकदा । अच्छिन्नानंदसंदोहः कुतः क्षेत्रेऽत्र तद्वद
atha vijñāpayāṃcakre gaurī giriśamekadā | acchinnānaṃdasaṃdohaḥ kutaḥ kṣetre'tra tadvada
പിന്നീട് ഒരിക്കൽ ഗൗരി ഗിരീശനോട് അപേക്ഷിച്ചു—“പറയുക; ഈ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ എങ്ങനെ ഇങ്ങനെ അച്ഛിന്നമായ ആനന്ദസമൂഹം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു?”
Skanda (narrating); direct speech by Gaurī to Śiva
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Ānandavana/Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Scene: In Ānandavana, Gaurī turns to Śiva with reverent curiosity, asking how this kṣetra holds an unbroken mass of bliss; the setting is tranquil—sacred trees, subtle liṅgas, and a luminous atmosphere suggesting continuous ananda.
FAQs
The bliss of Kāśī is not accidental; it is grounded in a sacred metaphysical cause that the tradition explains through Śiva’s presence.
The Kāśī-kṣetra, especially Ānandavana.
None; it introduces a theological inquiry about the nature of the kṣetra.