Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
यथा न मुक्तिरत्र स्यात्कस्यापि करवै तथा । इति शप्तुं यदोद्युक्तः संजहास तदा शिवः
yathā na muktiratra syātkasyāpi karavai tathā | iti śaptuṃ yadodyuktaḥ saṃjahāsa tadā śivaḥ
“Biar di sini tiada sesiapa pun mencapai mokṣa!”—ketika dia hendak melafazkan sumpahan demikian, Śiva pun tertawa nyaring.
Skanda (narrating); quoted intent of Durvāsā; Śiva reacts
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Durvāsā, arm raised to curse, is frozen mid-utterance as Śiva appears laughing—cosmic, compassionate, and unthreatened—within the sacred precinct.
FAQs
The liberating power of Kāśī is upheld by Śiva; hostile intent cannot overturn the dharma of the sacred kṣetra.
Kāśī, implied as the place where mukti is naturally available and divinely safeguarded.
None; the focus is on the doctrine of mukti in Kāśī and Śiva’s protection of the kṣetra.