Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84
श्मशानस्तंभमभितो नीयंते कंठपाशिताः । पिपासिता अपि न तेंऽबुस्पर्शमपि चाप्नुयुः
śmaśānastaṃbhamabhito nīyaṃte kaṃṭhapāśitāḥ | pipāsitā api na teṃ'busparśamapi cāpnuyuḥ
Di sekeliling “tiang tanah pembakaran mayat”, mereka diseret dengan jerut di leher; walau dahaga, mereka tidak memperoleh walau sentuhan air sekalipun.
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī) with śmaśāna-stambha motif
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devotee/ṛṣi interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual)
Scene: A grim cremation-ground: a central stone/wooden pillar (‘śmaśāna-stambha’), preta-like beings dragged in circles with nooses at their throats, cracked lips from thirst, water nearby yet unreachable; Bhairava’s unseen presence implied by dread and order.
FAQs
Karmic bondage can manifest as extreme deprivation; the text uses this to turn the mind toward purification and Śiva’s refuge.
The chapter’s Kāśī setting frames even cremation imagery within a larger Mahātmya of liberation.
No direct ritual instruction; it is a warning narrative within the Mahātmya.