Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97
महाकालस्य तल्लिंगं यैर्दृष्टं कष्टिभिः क्वचित । न स्पृष्टास्ते महापापैर्न दृष्टास्ते यमोद्भटैः
mahākālasya talliṃgaṃ yairdṛṣṭaṃ kaṣṭibhiḥ kvacita | na spṛṣṭāste mahāpāpairna dṛṣṭāste yamodbhaṭaiḥ
Sesiapa yang pada suatu ketika, dengan kesukaran besar, telah melihat Liṅga Mahākāla itu—tidak disentuh oleh dosa besar, dan tidak pula terlihat oleh para utusan Yama yang garang.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa discourse, often Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Mahākāla-liṅga (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim, weary from travel, finally beholds Mahākāla’s liṅga; shadowy Yama-dūtas recoil and fade at the threshold; a protective aura surrounds the devotee.
FAQs
Sincere darśana of Mahākāla is portrayed as a decisive turning point that burns heavy sin and removes fear of Yama.
The Mahākāla Liṅga in the Mahākāla kṣetra (Avantī/Ujjayinī context).
No explicit rite; the act emphasized is liṅga-darśana attained with effort and devotion.