Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18
आनंदकानने चात्र स्वैरं तिष्ठामि देवताः । अनुग्रहाय सर्वेषां भक्तानामिह सर्वदा
ānaṃdakānane cātra svairaṃ tiṣṭhāmi devatāḥ | anugrahāya sarveṣāṃ bhaktānāmiha sarvadā
Dan di sini, di Ānandakānana, Aku bersemayam dengan bebas, wahai para dewa—sentiasa di tempat ini, demi rahmat dan pengangkatan semua para bhakta.
Śiva (addressing devatās; first-person dwelling in Ānandakānana)
Tirtha: Ānandakānana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devas (and by extension pilgrims/śrotṛs)
Scene: Śiva speaks to the assembled devas, declaring his free, perpetual dwelling in Kāśī’s Ānandakānana for the uplift of devotees; the grove glows with sacred trees, ghāṭa silhouettes, and a distant liṅga-shrine aura.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as a living abode of grace where Śiva remains accessible for devotees’ welfare.
Ānandakānana—an epithet for the sacred Kāśī region associated with Viśveśvara.
None stated; the verse emphasizes divine presence and anugraha (grace).