Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85
अपास्य सोदरान्दारान्पुत्रं क्षेत्रं गृहं वसु । अप्यंगीकृत्य निधनं सर्वे काशीमुपासते
apāsya sodarāndārānputraṃ kṣetraṃ gṛhaṃ vasu | apyaṃgīkṛtya nidhanaṃ sarve kāśīmupāsate
சகோதரர்கள், மனைவி, மகன், நிலம், வீடு, செல்வம் ஆகியவற்றைத் துறந்து—மரணத்தையும் ஏற்றுக்கொண்டு—மக்கள் எப்படியும் காசியை வழிபடுகின்றனர்।
Skanda (contextual continuation)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A group of pilgrims leaving behind a household scene—brothers, spouse, child, fields, and wealth symbolized—walking toward Kāśī’s ghāṭas with resolute faces; in the distance, temple spires and the Gaṅgā glow, suggesting acceptance of death for a higher aim.
FAQs
The verse celebrates the supreme value of Kāśī: seekers prioritize the sacred kṣetra over worldly ties, even at the cost of life.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the ultimate object of upāsanā and pilgrimage aspiration.
Upāsanā—steadfast devotion/attendance upon Kāśī, implying pilgrimage residence and sustained worship.