Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55
वीणावेणुप्रवादाश्च मृदंगा मधुरस्वनाः । सोमपानं विनान्यत्र पानगोष्ठी न कर्णगा
vīṇāveṇupravādāśca mṛdaṃgā madhurasvanāḥ | somapānaṃ vinānyatra pānagoṣṭhī na karṇagā
Di sana kedengaran alunan vīṇā dan tiupan seruling, serta mṛdaṅga yang bersuara merdu; namun tiada di mana-mana pun terdengar hiruk-pikuk majlis minum sampai ke telinga, kecuali di tempat Soma diminum.
Skanda
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (typical frame) / pilgrims
Scene: A twilight ghat-scene in Kāśī: vīṇā and veṇu players seated near a shrine, mṛdaṅga rhythms echoing; devotees with lamps; no tavern-like assembly—only a Vedic-ritual vignette suggesting Soma as sacred offering.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as a refined, dharmic society—music and joy exist, but vulgar intoxication and noisy revelry are absent.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a sacred realm where culture is aligned with dharma.
No direct rite is prescribed; the verse contrasts ordinary drinking with Soma (a Vedic-sacrificial context).