Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51
ममाग्रे तत्समाचक्ष्व यदि जानासि तत्त्वतः । आकर्ण्येति वचस्तस्य पुनः प्राह भवानिति
mamāgre tatsamācakṣva yadi jānāsi tattvataḥ | ākarṇyeti vacastasya punaḥ prāha bhavāniti
“Jika engkau benar-benar mengetahui hakikatnya, nyatakanlah di hadapanku.” Mendengar kata-katanya, yang seorang lagi berkata kembali, “Baik—dengarlah.”
Narrative line (dialogue exchange between King and Jaṭādhara)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The king leans forward, requesting the essence; the ascetic gestures ‘listen’ as if opening a teaching. The space feels like a quiet courtyard near a shrine.
FAQs
Sacred knowledge should be sought humbly and received attentively—truth is to be learned ‘tattvataḥ’ (as it is).
Kāśī is the continuing setting; the verse supports the Mahātmya’s teaching mode rather than naming a single tīrtha.
None; it frames a guru–śiṣya-like exchange of instruction.