Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48
असिं ह्युपस्पृश्य पुनःपुनर्मुनिः प्रासादमालाः परितो विलोकयन् । उवाच नेत्रे सरले प्रपश्यतं काशीं युवां क्वक्व पुरी त्वियं बत
asiṃ hyupaspṛśya punaḥpunarmuniḥ prāsādamālāḥ parito vilokayan | uvāca netre sarale prapaśyataṃ kāśīṃ yuvāṃ kvakva purī tviyaṃ bata
Sambil menyentuh sempadan suci itu berulang-ulang, sang resi memandang sekeliling deretan istana lalu berkata: “Wahai dua mataku yang tulus, pandanglah Kāśī dengan jelas—di mana, di mana lagi ada kota seperti ini?”
Agastya (deduced from the departure-lament voice)
Tirtha: Kāśī-sīmā (boundary of Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Agastya stands at Kāśī’s boundary, repeatedly touching it in reverence; he slowly turns, surveying palace-rows and sacred architecture, then speaks tenderly to his own eyes to drink in the vision.
FAQs
Darśana of Kāśī itself is a devotional act; the pilgrim is urged to contemplate its uniqueness as a manifestation of sacred power.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, praised as incomparable among cities.
Reverent contact with the city’s sīmā (boundary) and intentional darśana (mindful beholding) of the sacred city.