Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
न तादृग्धर्मसंभारो लभ्यते क्रतुकोटिभिः । यादृग्वाराणसी वीथी संचारेण पदेपदे
na tādṛgdharmasaṃbhāro labhyate kratukoṭibhiḥ | yādṛgvārāṇasī vīthī saṃcāreṇa padepade
Tal acúmulo de dharma não se alcança nem com crores de sacrifícios védicos; contudo, obtém-se—passo a passo—apenas caminhando pelas ruas de Vārāṇasī.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative convention)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī-vīthayaḥ (streets of Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim stream moves through narrow Kāśī lanes lined with small shrines and liṅgas; each footstep emits a faint glow of merit; distant yajña fires appear dim in comparison, symbolizing kratu-koṭi surpassed.
FAQs
Sacred geography can surpass ritual magnitude: Kāśī grants extraordinary merit through simple contact and movement within it.
Vārāṇasī itself—especially its vīthīs (lanes/streets) as a sacred field.
Vīthī-saṃcāra—pilgrimage-walking through Vārāṇasī (a form of sacred circumambulation/holy roaming).