Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27
अथर्वोवाच । यं प्रपश्यंति देवेशं भक्त्यानुग्रहिणो जनाः । तमाहुरेकं कैवल्यं शंकरं दुःखतस्करम्
atharvovāca | yaṃ prapaśyaṃti deveśaṃ bhaktyānugrahiṇo janāḥ | tamāhurekaṃ kaivalyaṃ śaṃkaraṃ duḥkhataskaram
अथर्व म्हणाला—भक्तीने अनुग्रहित झालेले लोक ज्याला देवेश म्हणून प्रत्यक्ष पाहतात, त्या एकमेव शंकराला ते कैवल्यस्वरूप, दुःख चोरणारा ‘दुःखतस्कर’ म्हणतात।
Atharva (personified Atharvaveda/Śruti)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sage/audience
Scene: Atharvaveda personified declares that devotees, graced by bhakti, behold Devesha; Śaṅkara appears as Kaivalya embodied, gently removing sorrow from worshippers.
FAQs
Liberation is not merely attained by effort but through devotion that invites grace; Śiva is portrayed as liberation itself and as the remover of suffering.
The broader setting is Kāśīkhaṇḍa (the glory of Kāśī), where Śiva’s saving power is central; this verse itself does not specify a particular shrine or ghat.
No ritual act is mandated; devotion (bhakti) and the resulting divine grace are emphasized.