Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32
क्षतात्संत्राणनात्क्षत्रं तत्क्वास्मिन्प्रलयप्रिये । वैश्योपि न भवेदेष सदा निर्धनचेष्टनः
kṣatātsaṃtrāṇanātkṣatraṃ tatkvāsminpralayapriye | vaiśyopi na bhavedeṣa sadā nirdhanaceṣṭanaḥ
“Kṣatra” dinamakan demikian kerana tugasnya melindungi yang terluka—namun di manakah perlindungan itu pada dirinya yang gemar akan pralaya (peleburan)? Dan dia pun bukan vaiśya, kerana sentiasa bertindak seperti orang yang tiada harta.
Dakṣa (as reported in Skanda’s narration)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A didactic tableau: on one side, a king protects the wounded (kṣatra definition); on the other, Śiva as Kāla stands serene amid symbols of dissolution; below, a simple ascetic with no possessions contrasts with merchant wealth—showing the Lord beyond all.
FAQs
When ego argues from social definitions, it misreads divine functions; dharma requires reverence and discernment, not contempt.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse belongs to the Kāśī Māhātmya corpus that frames such teachings within Kāśī’s sanctity.
None.