Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32
स्वप्रेमया स संप्रोक्तो वशिष्ठस्तापसोत्तमः । दृढव्रत प्रसन्नोस्मि केदारं विद्धि मामिह
svapremayā sa saṃprokto vaśiṣṭhastāpasottamaḥ | dṛḍhavrata prasannosmi kedāraṃ viddhi māmiha
स्वप्रेम्णा स वशिष्ठस्तापसोत्तमः संप्रोक्तः। तदा मया उक्तम्—हे दृढव्रत, प्रसन्नोऽस्मि; इह मां केदारं विद्धि॥
Caṇḍikā (Devī)
Tirtha: Kedāra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Caṇḍikā manifests before Vasiṣṭha: a radiant goddess with trident and lion emblem, yet the scene also hints at Kedāra’s Śaiva identity—snowy peaks or a liṅga motif appearing in aura; Vasiṣṭha stands with folded hands, firm-vowed and serene.
FAQs
Loving devotion (prema) joined to firm vows (dṛḍha-vrata) culminates in direct divine revelation.
Kedāra (Kedāra-kṣetra/Kedāreśvara) as situated within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred landscape.
No explicit ritual is stated; the emphasis is on steadfast vrata and devotion that lead to the site’s sanctity.