Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
शिवशर्मोवाच । रमयंती मनोतीव केयं कस्येयमीशितुः । नयनानंदसंदोहदायिनीपूरनुत्तमा
śivaśarmovāca | ramayaṃtī manotīva keyaṃ kasyeyamīśituḥ | nayanānaṃdasaṃdohadāyinīpūranuttamā
Śivaśarman berkata: “Siapakah ini yang amat mempesona hati, dan kota ini milik Tuhan yang mana? Pekan yang tiada bandingan ini mencurahkan himpunan sukacita bagi mata.”
Śivaśarman
Tirtha: Sahasrākṣa-purī (city-mahātmyam opening)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages
Scene: Śivaśarman stands at the threshold of a luminous city, eyes widened in wonder; the skyline glitters with terraces and spires; his gesture is half-question, half-reverence, as if the city itself answers through its radiance.
FAQs
A sacred place is recognized by its power to uplift mind and senses, prompting inquiry into its divine lordship.
A city identified in the next verse as Sahasrākṣa-purī; the passage begins its māhātmya-style description.
None explicitly; it is an introductory question that initiates the site’s glorification.