Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55
बकोपि पल्वले मत्स्यान्नाश्नात्यग्रेचरानपि । न महांतोप्यमहतो मत्स्या मत्स्यानदंति वै
bakopi palvale matsyānnāśnātyagrecarānapi | na mahāṃtopyamahato matsyā matsyānadaṃti vai
Até uma garça, no lago, não come os peixes que estão à sua frente; e mesmo os peixes grandes não devoram os pequenos. (Assim, no campo santificado de Kāśī, a crueldade natural é contida.)
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A tranquil pond within Kāśī’s sacred precincts: a heron stands poised yet refrains; large fish glide beside small fish without harm; distant ghats and temple spires suggest the kṣetra’s aura.
FAQs
In Kāśī’s sanctified atmosphere, even instinctive violence is pacified—hinting at the kṣetra’s power to purify and civilize beings.
Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī), praised as a field whose presence transforms conduct even among animals.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse illustrates the inherent purifying influence of residing in or approaching the kṣetra.