Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
वरं हि तत्काशिरजोति पावनं रजस्तमोध्वंसि शशिप्रभोज्ज्वलम् । कृतप्रणामैर्मणिकर्णिका भुवे ललाटगंयद्बहुमन्यते सुरैः
varaṃ hi tatkāśirajoti pāvanaṃ rajastamodhvaṃsi śaśiprabhojjvalam | kṛtapraṇāmairmaṇikarṇikā bhuve lalāṭagaṃyadbahumanyate suraiḥ
Bendito, em verdade, é o pó de Kāśī: supremamente purificador, destruidor de rajas e tamas, radiante como o brilho da lua. Em Maṇikarṇikā na terra, esse pó que, pelas prostrações, sobe à fronte é altamente venerado até pelos deuses.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā
Type: ghat
Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly
Scene: At Maṇikarṇikā ghāṭa, a devotee performs full prostration; luminous dust rises and touches the forehead, depicted as moon-bright, while devas in the sky look on with reverence; the Ganga flows beside the steps.
FAQs
Even seemingly small contact—Kāśī’s dust—becomes a powerful purifier, symbolizing humility and grace in a sacred kṣetra.
Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī, famed as an exceptionally sanctifying spot.
Praṇāma (prostration) at Maṇikarṇikā is implied, where the Kāśī-dust touches one’s forehead.