Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 130
विश्वेशानुगृहीतानां विच्छिन्नाखिलकर्मणाम् । भवेत्काशीं प्रति मतिर्नेतरेषां कदाचन
viśveśānugṛhītānāṃ vicchinnākhilakarmaṇām | bhavetkāśīṃ prati matirnetareṣāṃ kadācana
Hanya mereka yang dikurniai rahmat Viśveśa, Tuhan Kāśī, dan yang segala karma terkumpulnya telah terputus, akan menumbuhkan kecenderungan sejati menuju Kāśī; bagi yang lain, haluan hati demikian kepada Kāśī tidak akan timbul sama sekali.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa dialogue style, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra (Viśveśa-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A pilgrim’s mind turning toward Kāśī as if pulled by an unseen grace: Viśveśa’s luminous presence above the city, karmic bonds depicted as severed threads falling away.
FAQs
Love for Kāśī is portrayed as the fruit of Viśveśa’s grace and the cessation of karmic bondage, not merely personal choice.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially under the lordship of Viśveśa, is praised as a rare spiritual destination.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes divine grace and karmic purification as the basis for pilgrimage-mindedness.