Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22
श्रवणादस्य लिंगस्य पातकं जन्मसंचितम् । क्षणात्क्षयति शृण्वंतु देवा ऋषिगणैः सह
śravaṇādasya liṃgasya pātakaṃ janmasaṃcitam | kṣaṇātkṣayati śṛṇvaṃtu devā ṛṣigaṇaiḥ saha
ഈ ലിംഗത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് കേൾക്കുന്നതുമാത്രം കൊണ്ടു ജന്മജന്മാന്തരങ്ങളിൽ സഞ്ചിതമായ പാപം ക്ഷണത്തിൽ നശിക്കുന്നു; ദേവന്മാരേ, ഋഷിഗണങ്ങളോടുകൂടെ ഇത് ശ്രവിക്കുവിൻ.
Śiva
Tirtha: Kāśī-liṅga māhātmya (hearing-glory of the liṅga)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devas together with Ṛṣigaṇas
Scene: A sage assembly with devas listens as the liṅga’s glory is proclaimed; sound is visualized as luminous script-like waves emanating from the speaker toward the liṅga and the listeners; a dark mist labeled ‘pātaka’ dissolves instantly.
FAQs
Even hearing the glory of the Kāśī liṅga is a powerful purifier, dissolving long-accumulated sin quickly.
The Viśveśvara liṅga of Kāśī, whose māhātmya is said to be purifying even by śravaṇa.
Śravaṇa—listening to the liṅga’s māhātmya (sacred account) as a purificatory practice.