Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5
यदु दुग्धनिधिं निमथ्यदेवैर्मृदुसारः समकर्षि पूर्णचंद्रः । स बभूव कृशो वियोगतप्तेश्वरमूर्धोष्मपरिक्षरच्छरीरः
yadu dugdhanidhiṃ nimathyadevairmṛdusāraḥ samakarṣi pūrṇacaṃdraḥ | sa babhūva kṛśo viyogatapteśvaramūrdhoṣmaparikṣaraccharīraḥ
Tatkala para dewa mengacau Samudra Susu lalu mengeluarkan sari yang lembut—Bulan purnama—bulan itu sendiri pun menjadi kurus kerana bahang perpisahan dari Kāśī; tubuhnya seakan mencair oleh panas yang memancar dari ubun-ubun Sang Īśvara.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: The Ocean of Milk churning yields the full Moon; yet the Moon appears wan and thinned, as if melting under the heat rising from Śiva’s head—an allegory of Kāśī-viraha scorching even the cool lunar essence.
FAQs
Even cosmic powers like the Moon are portrayed as affected by Śiva’s intense love for Kāśī, highlighting Kāśī’s supreme sanctity and Śiva’s intimate bond with it.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as so dear to Śiva that separation from it generates a world-affecting “heat” of longing.
None explicitly; the verse is a poetic mahātmya-style praise illustrating Kāśī’s greatness through Śiva’s viraha (separation).