Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57
यावद्वाराणसीं दिव्यां पुरीमेष गमिष्यति । तावत्त्वं भीषणे कालमनुगच्छोग्ररूपिणि
yāvadvārāṇasīṃ divyāṃ purīmeṣa gamiṣyati | tāvattvaṃ bhīṣaṇe kālamanugacchograrūpiṇi
‘ตราบใดที่เขายังเดินทางไปสู่นครศักดิ์สิทธิ์พาราณสี ตราบนั้นแล เจ้าผู้มีรูปอันดุร้ายน่าสะพรึง จงติดตามเขาไป ให้กาละประหนึ่งเดินเคียงกับเขา’
Śiva (in narrative, to Brahmahatyā)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī / Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame assumed; not explicit)
Scene: Śiva issues a command to a fearsome being: as long as the traveler proceeds toward the divine city of Vārāṇasī, she must follow him, keeping pace with his time.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as a divinely protected boundary: sin may pursue only up to a limit set by Śiva.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) as a uniquely sanctified city under Śiva’s direct ordinance.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse conveys a divine injunction that frames Kāśī’s exceptional status.