Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39
क्षेत्रस्य तत्त्वमेतद्धि षट्त्रिंशल्लिंगरूप्यहो । एतेषां भजनात्पुंसां न भवेद्दुर्गतिः क्वचित्
kṣetrasya tattvametaddhi ṣaṭtriṃśalliṃgarūpyaho | eteṣāṃ bhajanātpuṃsāṃ na bhaveddurgatiḥ kvacit
Inilah hakikat batin bagi kṣetra suci itu: sungguh menakjubkan, ia tersusun sebagai tiga puluh enam rupa Liṅga. Dengan bhajana (bakti) kepada semuanya ini, manusia tidak akan jatuh ke dalam kemalangan atau takdir buruk—pada bila-bila masa pun.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī as ‘Ṣaṭtriṃśal-liṅga-rūpā’ (36-liṅga-formed kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A panoramic Kāśī mandala where 36 liṅgas appear as luminous pillars across the city; a devotee’s path is protected by a radiant boundary, while shadowy figures symbolizing durgati dissolve at the edge of the light.
FAQs
Kāśī’s sacred structure is a living map of Śiva; devotion to its liṅga-forms protects and elevates one’s destiny.
The Kāśī kṣetra understood through its thirty-six liṅga manifestations.
Bhajana—devotional worship/reverence toward the thirty-six liṅga-forms of Kāśī.