Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
अगस्त्य उवाच । कथं दुर्गेति वै नाम देव्या जातंमुमासुत । कथं च काश्यां सा सेव्या समाचक्ष्वेति मामिह
agastya uvāca | kathaṃ durgeti vai nāma devyā jātaṃmumāsuta | kathaṃ ca kāśyāṃ sā sevyā samācakṣveti māmiha
ଅଗସ୍ତ୍ୟ କହିଲେ—ହେ ଉମାସୁତ! ଦେବୀଙ୍କ ‘ଦୁର୍ଗା’ ନାମ କିପରି ହେଲା? ଏବଂ କାଶୀରେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ବିଧିପୂର୍ବକ କିପରି ସେବା-ପୂଜା କରିବା ଉଚିତ? ଏଠାରେ ମୋତେ କହ।
Agastya
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Durgā worship context)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Skanda (Umā-suta)
Scene: Sage Agastya respectfully questions Skanda (Umā’s son) about the origin of the name ‘Durgā’ and her worship in Kāśī; a hermitage-like setting with sacred city implied.
FAQs
A sincere seeker asks not only ‘who’ the deity is, but ‘why’ her name signifies her power and ‘how’ to worship her rightly in a sacred place.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), as the setting where Durgā is to be specially served and understood.
The verse introduces the inquiry about the proper mode of worship in Kāśī; the detailed prescriptions are expected in the following verses.