Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38
अंतरात्मा ह्ययं साक्षान्निश्चितो ह्याशुशुक्षणिः । मांसग्रासान्पचेत्कुक्षौ स्त्रीणां नो मांसपेशिकाम्
aṃtarātmā hyayaṃ sākṣānniścito hyāśuśukṣaṇiḥ | māṃsagrāsānpacetkukṣau strīṇāṃ no māṃsapeśikām
อัคนีนี้แลเป็นอาตมันภายในและพยานโดยตรงอย่างแน่นอน เป็นผู้กลืนกินอย่างรวดเร็ว ควรย่อยชิ้นเนื้อในท้องได้ แต่ไม่ควร ‘ย่อยก้อนเนื้อของสตรี’ (ครรภ์)
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Antarāgni / Agni as sākṣin (conceptual tīrtha within Kāśī teaching)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two-layer composition: outer—Agni blazing as sacred fire; inner—within a human silhouette, a subtle flame at the navel/heart representing antarāgni, with an all-seeing eye motif for sākṣin; a protective gesture toward women, indicating prohibition of harm.
FAQs
Agni is invoked as the inner witness and moral force, emphasizing restraint and protection against grave harm—especially toward women and unborn life.
The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered teaching, though it functions primarily as ethical instruction rather than site-description.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse uses the metaphor of ‘cooking/digesting’ to set an ethical prohibition and uphold dharma.