Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97
स्कंद उवाच । इत्यन्योन्यस्य शापेन मुने धर्मो नदोऽभवत् । अविमुक्ते महाक्षेत्रे ख्यातो धर्मनदो महान्
skaṃda uvāca | ityanyonyasya śāpena mune dharmo nado'bhavat | avimukte mahākṣetre khyāto dharmanado mahān
Skanda bersabda: “Wahai muni, demikianlah oleh sumpah-menyumpah antara mereka, Dharma pun menjadi sungai. Di mahākṣetra Avimukta, baginda masyhur sebagai Dharmanadā yang agung.”
Skanda
Tirtha: Dharmanadā
Type: river
Listener: O sage (muni)
Scene: Skanda as narrator (youthful divine commander) gestures toward a sacred stream within Kāśī; the river is personified as Dharma—serene, luminous—flowing past ghāṭas and liṅga shrines, with pilgrims offering water.
FAQs
Even conflict and curse can be transmuted into sacred purpose within Kāśī—dharma becomes a living tīrtha that guides pilgrims toward purification.
Avimukta Mahākṣetra in Kāśī, specifically the Dharmanadā (Dharma-nada) river/tīrtha.
Not stated here; the verse identifies the tīrtha’s origin and fame, preparing for later merit (puṇya) descriptions.