Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79
वरं वाराणसीरंको निःशंकोयो यमादपि । न वयं त्रिदशायेषां गिरितोपीदृशी दशा
varaṃ vārāṇasīraṃko niḥśaṃkoyo yamādapi | na vayaṃ tridaśāyeṣāṃ giritopīdṛśī daśā
Lebih baik menjadi orang miskin di Vārāṇasī, hidup tanpa gentar—bahkan terhadap Yama—daripada berada di tempat lain dalam keadaan demikian, walau sebagai penguasa para dewa di puncak gunung.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A poor pilgrim in Kāśī stands serene near Maṇikarṇikā/ghāṭa fires; a shadowy Yama figure recedes powerless. In contrast, a glittering deva-lord on a mountain appears distant yet bound by anxiety.
FAQs
Material status is secondary; dwelling in Kāśī grants spiritual fearlessness and security superior to exalted heavenly positions.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, praised as a place where even the fear of Yama is dispelled.
None; the verse emphasizes the value of Kāśīvāsa itself as the highest choice.