Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18
ते ऊचतुः । अस्माकं दयितो भर्त्ता काशिराजः प्रतापवान् । निहतः संगरे क्रुद्धैर्यवनैः कालपूर्वकैः
te ūcatuḥ | asmākaṃ dayito bharttā kāśirājaḥ pratāpavān | nihataḥ saṃgare kruddhairyavanaiḥ kālapūrvakaiḥ
Mereka berkata: “Suami kami yang tercinta, Raja Kāśī yang gagah perkasa, telah terbunuh di medan perang oleh Yavana yang murka, yang ajalnya telah tiba.”
The two supplicants (likely queens/wives) addressing the manifested goddesses
Type: kund
Scene: Queens or royal women, grief-stricken, narrate the death of the Kāśī king; the background suggests a battlefield memory—fallen standards, dust, and distant flames—contrasted with the sanctity of the tīrtha setting.
FAQs
Even amid the inevitability of kāla (destiny/time), devotees seek refuge in Devī for restoration of dharma and protection.
Kāśī is invoked through the Kāśirāja, linking the tīrtha narrative to the broader sanctity and protection of Kāśī.
None directly; the verse introduces the devotees’ grievance and the moral crisis prompting divine aid.