Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 58
स्थानं कुरु महादेव यदि तुष्टोऽसि मे भव । शिवेन स्थानकं दत्तं काशीतुल्यं तदा नृप । तद्दत्त्वा च पुनः प्राह अन्यं वरय सत्तम
sthānaṃ kuru mahādeva yadi tuṣṭo'si me bhava | śivena sthānakaṃ dattaṃ kāśītulyaṃ tadā nṛpa | taddattvā ca punaḥ prāha anyaṃ varaya sattama
“Wahai Mahādeva, jika Engkau berkenan kepadaku, dirikanlah sebuah dhāma yang suci.” Maka Śiva mengurniakan suatu tempat suci setara Kāśī, wahai raja. Setelah mengurniakannya, Baginda bersabda lagi: “Wahai insan terbaik, pilihlah satu lagi anugerah.”
Sūta (narrating)
Tirtha: Śiva-datta sthāna (Kāśī-tulya) in Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed in the verse
Scene: Śiva consecrates the sthāna: a liṅga or sacred marker is installed; divine light descends; the king is addressed; Śiva then gestures again inviting a second boon.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace can establish a sanctified locus comparable to Kāśī, showing how dharma is anchored in sacred places.
A Dharmāraṇya “sthānaka” is explicitly said to be “kāśī-tulya” (equal to Kāśī/Varanasi).
No detailed rite is specified; the verse emphasizes the grant of a sacred station and its Kāśī-like merit.