Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72
वृद्धकालेश्वरं नाम लिंगमेतन्महीपते । जानीह्यनादिसंसिद्धं निमित्तं किंतु वै भवान्
vṛddhakāleśvaraṃ nāma liṃgametanmahīpate | jānīhyanādisaṃsiddhaṃ nimittaṃ kiṃtu vai bhavān
हे महीपते! या लिंगाचे नाव ‘वृद्धकाळेश्वर’ आहे. हे अनादी व नित्यसिद्ध आहे असे जाण; येथे तू केवळ निमित्तमात्र आहेस.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya; address to a king appears within the narrative)
Tirtha: Vṛddhakāleśvara
Type: temple
Scene: A king stands before an ancient, weathered yet radiant liṅga labeled Vṛddhakāleśvara; a sage explains its anādi nature. The liṅga appears rooted into the earth, with subtle cosmic motifs (stars/mandala) indicating timeless establishment.
FAQs
Sacred icons in Kāśī are portrayed as timeless realities; human agency is secondary—merely instrumental.
The Vṛddhakāleśvara Liṅga in Kāśī.
Implicit reverence toward the Vṛddhakāleśvara Liṅga; explicit rituals appear in subsequent verses.