Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
विश्वेशाख्या तु जिह्वाग्रे विश्वनाथकथाश्रुतौ । विश्वेशशीलनं चित्ते यस्य तस्य जनिः कुतः
viśveśākhyā tu jihvāgre viśvanāthakathāśrutau | viśveśaśīlanaṃ citte yasya tasya janiḥ kutaḥ
ज्याच्या जिभेच्या अग्रभागी सतत “विश्वेश” हे नाम असते, ज्याचे कान विश्वनाथाच्या कथा अमृतासारख्या ऐकतात, आणि ज्याचे चित्त अखंड विश्वेशाचे स्मरण-चिंतन करते—त्याचा पुनर्जन्म कसा होईल?
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī Viśvanātha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devarṣi/ṛṣis (typical Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Scene: A devotee in Kāśī: tongue uttering “Viśveśa,” ears attentive to Śiva-kathā recited by a paṇḍita, and heart visualized as holding Viśveśvara’s liṅga—Ganga and temple spires in the background.
FAQs
Chanting Viśveśa’s name, hearing Viśvanātha’s sacred stories, and steady inner contemplation together become a direct cause for freedom from rebirth.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), centered on Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha, is implied as the sacred locus of this teaching.
No external rite is specified; the prescription is nāma-japa (uttering Viśveśa), śravaṇa (hearing kathā), and mānasa-bhajana (inner contemplation).