Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73
तत्रोत्क्रमणकाले तु साक्षाद्विश्वेश्वरः स्वयम् । व्याचष्टे तारकं ब्रह्म येनासौ तन्मयो भवेत्
tatrotkramaṇakāle tu sākṣādviśveśvaraḥ svayam | vyācaṣṭe tārakaṃ brahma yenāsau tanmayo bhavet
Di sana, pada saat meninggalkan jasad, Viśveśvara sendiri secara langsung menghuraikan Tāraka Brahman; dengannya, orang yang nazak menjadi sehakikat dengan-Nya.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: Viśveśvara manifests beside a dying devotee in Kāśī, leaning close to whisper the Tāraka Brahman; the devotee’s subtle body rises as a luminous form merging into Śiva’s radiance; Gaṅgā and temple lamps frame the scene.
FAQs
Kāśī is presented as uniquely liberating because Śiva Himself grants saving knowledge/mantra at the moment of death, enabling union with the divine.
Avimukta Kṣetra in Kāśī, presided over by Viśveśvara (Viśvanātha/Śiva).
The verse highlights divine instruction of the ‘Tāraka’ (saving) Brahman/mantra at death rather than a human-performed ritual.