Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
मनसेति गृणंस्तदा शिवः सुतरां संवृततापवैकृतः । जगदंबिकया धियां जनन्या कथमप्येष वियुक्त इत्यमानि
manaseti gṛṇaṃstadā śivaḥ sutarāṃ saṃvṛtatāpavaikṛtaḥ | jagadaṃbikayā dhiyāṃ jananyā kathamapyeṣa viyukta ityamāni
Maka Śiva, sambil memuji (Kāśī) dalam batin dengan kata “manase”, menyembunyikan perubahan yang timbul daripada sakit yang membara. Namun Jagadambikā—Bonda Alam, ibu segala pengertian—tertanya, “Bagaimana mungkin Baginda menjadi terpisah dan resah begini?”
Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, context-inferred)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: Śiva sits inwardly absorbed, concealing a subtle burning anguish; Pārvatī watches with discerning concern, sensing separation without knowing its cause; the aura suggests Kāśī as an unseen presence drawing his mind.
FAQs
Divine longing for the sacred kṣetra is portrayed as so powerful that even Śiva’s state changes—highlighting Kāśī’s incomparable spiritual gravity.
Kāśī/Avimukta is implied as the focus of Śiva’s inward praise, setting the stage for its explicit glorification.
None; it is narrative context introducing Pārvatī’s inquiry.