Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60
क्व मांसं क्व शिवे भक्तिः क्व मद्यं क्व शिवार्चनम् । मद्यमांसरतानां च दूरे तिष्ठति शंकरः
kva māṃsaṃ kva śive bhaktiḥ kva madyaṃ kva śivārcanam | madyamāṃsaratānāṃ ca dūre tiṣṭhati śaṃkaraḥ
மாம்சத்துக்கு சிவபக்தியுடன் என்ன தொடர்பு? மதுவுக்கு சிவார்ச்சனையுடன் என்ன தொடர்பு? மது-மாம்சத்தில் ஆசை கொண்டவர்களிடமிருந்து சங்கரன் தூரமே நிற்பான்।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta/Kāśī-kṣetra (Viśveśvara area)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya)
Scene: A didactic scene near a Kāśī shrine: a teacher points toward Viśveśvara’s liṅga while turning away those carrying wine and meat; devotees with flowers and bilva approach in purity.
FAQs
Śiva-bhakti requires purity and restraint; attachment to intoxicants and violence-oriented diet obstructs closeness to Śaṅkara.
Kāśī-kṣetra’s Śaiva ethos is highlighted, presenting Kāśī as a place where true śivārcana demands disciplined living.
A clear ethical prerequisite for worship: avoid madya (liquor) and māṃsa (meat) when seeking genuine Śiva devotion.