Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94
यदा स देवो विश्वेशो मंदरं गतवान्पुरा । तदा काशीवियोगेन जाता तस्येदृशी दशा
yadā sa devo viśveśo maṃdaraṃ gatavānpurā | tadā kāśīviyogena jātā tasyedṛśī daśā
“Dahulu, ketika Dewa Viśveśa pergi ke Mandara, pada saat itu—kerana berpisah dari Kāśī—baginda pun mengalami keadaan yang demikian.”
Śrī (Haripriyā; Lakṣmī), speaking within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative context
Tirtha: Kāśī; Mandara
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: A flashback tableau: Viśveśa departing Kāśī toward Mandara; Kāśī behind him glows like an eternal city; the path is filled with a subtle aura of separation, suggesting cosmic imbalance when Śiva is away from his kṣetra.
FAQs
The bond between the deity and the sacred place is absolute: Kāśī is not merely a location but the Lord’s own chosen seat of grace.
Kāśī is glorified as Viśveśa’s essential abode; even the Lord’s going elsewhere leads to ‘viyoga’ effects.
None explicitly; the verse reinforces the devotional priority of Kāśī-darśana and residence/return.