Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85
क्षेत्रमेतत्त्रिशूलाग्रे शूलिनस्तिष्ठति द्विज । अंतरिक्षेन भूमिष्ठं नेक्षंते मूढबुद्धयः
kṣetrametattriśūlāgre śūlinastiṣṭhati dvija | aṃtarikṣena bhūmiṣṭhaṃ nekṣaṃte mūḍhabuddhayaḥ
โอ้ทวิชะ เขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้สถิตอยู่ ณ ปลายตรีศูลของพระศิวะผู้ทรงตรีศูล แม้ตั้งอยู่บนแผ่นดิน แต่ผู้มีปัญญาหลงย่อมไม่อาจเห็นได้ เพราะมีสภาวะแห่งอันตรักษะด้วย
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta / Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: A dvija (explicitly addressed) / sages
Scene: Śiva stands as cosmic pillar; from his triśūla rises a luminous miniature Kāśī-city at the tip, while ordinary townsfolk below see only mundane streets; sages perceive the radiant kṣetra hovering in mid-space.
FAQs
Kāśī’s holiness is not merely physical; it is a divine reality grasped through devotion and right understanding.
Avimukta/Kāśī, linked directly to Śiva as Śūlin (the trident-bearer).
No explicit ritual is given; the emphasis is on spiritual perception (darśana) and the kṣetra’s transcendence.