Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
न मोक्षलक्ष्म्योत्र समक्षमीक्षितास्तनूभृता केनचिदेव कुत्रचित् । अवैम्यहं शर्मद सर्वशर्मदा सरूपिणी मुक्तिरसौ हि काशिका
na mokṣalakṣmyotra samakṣamīkṣitāstanūbhṛtā kenacideva kutracit | avaimyahaṃ śarmada sarvaśarmadā sarūpiṇī muktirasau hi kāśikā
Di tempat lain, ‘kemuliaan moksha’ tidak terlihat begitu nyata di hadapan makhluk yang berjasad. Aku mengerti bahawa Kāśikā sendiri—pemberi kebahagiaan dan punca segala kesejahteraan—ialah pembebasan dalam rupa yang tampak.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Kāśikā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Kāśī personified as a radiant feminine presence arising from the cityscape—ghāṭas, spires, and the Gaṅgā forming her ornaments—while a seeker ‘sees’ mokṣa-lakṣmī directly, as if liberation stands before him.
FAQs
Kāśī is not merely a means to liberation; it is portrayed as liberation itself, accessible to embodied beings.
Kāśī (Kāśikā), revered as mukti-svarūpa—liberation in embodied form.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse stresses direct spiritual realization through Kāśī’s sanctity.