Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79
वरं वाराणसीरंको निःशंकोयो यमादपि । न वयं त्रिदशायेषां गिरितोपीदृशी दशा
varaṃ vārāṇasīraṃko niḥśaṃkoyo yamādapi | na vayaṃ tridaśāyeṣāṃ giritopīdṛśī daśā
Melhor é ser pobre em Vārāṇasī e viver sem medo—nem mesmo de Yama—do que ter tal condição em outro lugar, ainda que como senhor entre os devas no alto de uma montanha.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A poor pilgrim in Kāśī stands serene near Maṇikarṇikā/ghāṭa fires; a shadowy Yama figure recedes powerless. In contrast, a glittering deva-lord on a mountain appears distant yet bound by anxiety.
FAQs
Material status is secondary; dwelling in Kāśī grants spiritual fearlessness and security superior to exalted heavenly positions.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, praised as a place where even the fear of Yama is dispelled.
None; the verse emphasizes the value of Kāśīvāsa itself as the highest choice.