Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81
किमिदं देवदेवेन सर्वज्ञेन त्वया विभो । क्रियते जगतां धात्रा सर्वपापहराऽव्यय
kimidaṃ devadevena sarvajñena tvayā vibho | kriyate jagatāṃ dhātrā sarvapāpaharā'vyaya
Que é isto que fazes, ó Senhor—Deus dos deuses, onisciente, sustentador dos mundos, removedor de todo pecado, imperecível?
Viṣṇu (Hṛṣīkeśa) addressing Śiva
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Primary listener(s) of Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse (traditionally sages/Śaunaka line); immediate interlocutors in-scene: Viṣṇu addressing Śiva
Scene: Viṣṇu, filled with wonder, addresses Śiva with epithets—Deva-deva, Sarvajña, Dhātṛ—questioning a mysterious act; the setting evokes Kāśī’s sanctity and Śiva’s austere presence.
FAQs
Divine actions may appear puzzling; inquiry made with reverence opens understanding of dharma and cosmic purpose.
The setting is within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the broader glorification is of Kāśī as the stage of Śiva’s liberating acts.
No explicit ritual; it introduces a theological question about Śiva’s conduct.