Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
वाराणस्यां स्थितो यो वै पातकेषु रतः सदा । योनिं प्राप्यापि पैशाचीं वर्षाणामयुतत्रयम्
vārāṇasyāṃ sthito yo vai pātakeṣu rataḥ sadā | yoniṃ prāpyāpi paiśācīṃ varṣāṇāmayutatrayam
ਜੋ ਵਾਰਾਣਸੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੱਸ ਕੇ ਸਦਾ ਪਾਪਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਤ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਪੈਸ਼ਾਚੀ ਯੋਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਵੀ ਤੀਹ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਤੱਕ (ਉਸੇ ਹਾਲਤ ਵਿੱਚ) ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī/Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijas/pilgrims
Scene: A moral tableau: a resident of Kāśī indulging in vice in the shadow of temples, followed by transformation into a paiśācī yoni; above, the steady presence of Śiva and the Gaṅgā, indicating both judgment and the possibility of eventual return.
FAQs
Living in a holy city demands inner discipline; persistent sin leads to painful rebirth states despite sacred proximity.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī as the preeminent Śaiva kṣetra where conduct matters intensely.
No explicit rite is prescribed; the teaching is ethical—avoid pātakas while residing in Kāśī.