Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86
इह मंगलवेशेषु देवेंद्रेषु स शूलधृक् । कथमर्हो भवेच्चेति मंगले विषमेक्षणः
iha maṃgalaveśeṣu deveṃdreṣu sa śūladhṛk | kathamarho bhavecceti maṃgale viṣamekṣaṇaḥ
Di sini, di tengah para dewa agung yang berpakaian serba bertuah, bagaimana mungkin Dia yang memegang trisula itu dianggap layak?—demikianlah sangkaan mereka, wahai Maṅgalā, dengan penilaian yang menyimpang.
Narratorial voice within the dialogue (contextual; describing others’ biased view)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Primary interlocutor of Kāśīkhaṇḍa (traditionally a sage/assembly; not explicit in given verse)
Scene: A divine assembly in festive auspicious dress; among them the trident-bearing Śiva is judged unfit by those with ‘crooked eyes’—a contrast of glittering ornamentation versus ascetic majesty.
FAQs
Judging divinity by external conventions leads to error; Śiva’s true auspiciousness is independent of worldly standards.
Kāśī remains the implied sacred backdrop of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discussion.
No explicit prescription; the verse critiques attitudes within an auspicious ceremonial setting.