Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46
पृष्टस्त्वमिति ते नाथ तदा वृद्ध तपस्विना । कथयिष्यस्यहं राजा वृद्धकाल इति श्रुतः
pṛṣṭastvamiti te nātha tadā vṛddha tapasvinā | kathayiṣyasyahaṃ rājā vṛddhakāla iti śrutaḥ
ஓ நாதா, அந்த முதிய தவசியால் கேட்கப்பட்டபோது நீ கூறுவாய்— “நான் ஒரு அரசன்; ‘விருத்தகால’ என்ற பெயரால் புகழ்பெற்றவன்.”
Skanda (deduced; forecasting the reply in narrative)
Type: temple
Listener: Sages (frame) / the ascetic within episode
Scene: The pilgrim reveals himself as a king named Vṛddhakāla before an aged ascetic; the moment is a narrative pivot—royal bearing softened by devotion in the temple’s shadow.
FAQs
Sacred Kāśī brings together royal duty and ascetic wisdom, beginning with humility and truthful self-identification.
Kāśī is the stage for the king’s encounter and the forthcoming shrine-legend.
None; it introduces the protagonist (King Vṛddhakāla) within the tīrtha narrative.