Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30
कलिकल्मषपुष्टा ये ये दुष्टा नास्तिकाः शठाः । एतेषां सिद्धलिंगानां ज्ञास्यंत्याख्यामपीह न
kalikalmaṣapuṣṭā ye ye duṣṭā nāstikāḥ śaṭhāḥ | eteṣāṃ siddhaliṃgānāṃ jñāsyaṃtyākhyāmapīha na
Mereka yang jahat, tidak beriman (nāstika) dan penuh tipu daya, yang dipupuk oleh dosa Zaman Kali—bahkan mereka di sini pun tidak mengetahui walau sekadar nama dan kemasyhuran Liṅga-Liṅga Siddha (svayambhū) ini.
Skanda
Tirtha: Siddhaliṅga-s (group) in Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: a beloved interlocutor (commonly Devasenā in Kāśī-khaṇḍa dialogues)
Scene: A Kāśī lane with multiple small shrines; radiant liṅgas remain ‘unseen’ to shadowy, skeptical figures, while devotees with folded hands perceive their glory.
FAQs
Kāśī’s sacred manifestations are so exalted that those hardened by Kali-yuga sin remain cut off even from their very renown; faith and reverence are prerequisites for receiving tīrtha-knowledge.
Kāśī/Ānandakānana (Vārāṇasī), through the praise of its ‘siddha’ (self-established) Śiva-liṅgas.
No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse sets a contrast preparing for the later teaching that even hearing the names of the liṅgas yields merit.