Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
उपेंद्रतप्तानि तपांसि तैश्चिरं स्नाता हि ते चाखिलतीर्थसार्थकैः । स्नात्वेह ये वै मणिकर्णिका ह्रदे समासते मुक्तिजनाश्रयेक्षणम्
upeṃdrataptāni tapāṃsi taiściraṃ snātā hi te cākhilatīrthasārthakaiḥ | snātveha ye vai maṇikarṇikā hrade samāsate muktijanāśrayekṣaṇam
Oleh mereka, tapa yang setara dengan yang dilakukan oleh Upendra seakan-akan telah diamalkan lama; sesungguhnya mereka seolah-olah telah mandi dengan keberkesanan semua tīrtha sekaligus. Setelah mandi di telaga Maṇikarṇikā di sini, sesiapa yang duduk walau sesaat di tempat perlindungan para pencari mokṣa memperoleh daya penyucian itu.
Śiva
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā-hrada (Maṇikarṇikā-kuṇḍa)
Type: ghat
Listener: Acyuta (Viṣṇu)
Scene: Maṇikarṇikā pool shimmering beside the Ganga; a pilgrim bathes, then sits in still contemplation near a luminous ‘mukti-āśraya’ spot. A faint vision of Viṣṇu as Upendra performing tapas appears as a comparative motif, dissolving into the pool’s radiance.
FAQs
Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā is portrayed as a concentrated field of merit where bathing and even brief abiding equals vast tapas and tīrtha-fruit.
Maṇikarṇikā-hrada (the Maṇikarṇikā sacred pool/ford) in Kāśī.
Snāna at Maṇikarṇikā-hrada, followed by sitting/abiding even briefly at the mukti-janāśraya (refuge associated with liberation-seekers/liberated ones).