Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38
इति व्याकुलितं विश्वं पश्यन्विश्वेश्वरः स्वयम् । विश्वत्राता वरं दातुं संजग्मे तिग्मरश्मये
iti vyākulitaṃ viśvaṃ paśyanviśveśvaraḥ svayam | viśvatrātā varaṃ dātuṃ saṃjagme tigmaraśmaye
ครั้นทอดพระเนตรเห็นสากลจักรวาลปั่นป่วนเช่นนั้น พระวิศเวศวรเอง—ผู้ทรงเป็นผู้กอบกู้โลก—เสด็จไปยังพระสุริยะผู้มีรัศมีคมกล้า เพื่อประทานพร
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśvara’s protective field)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (traditional)
Scene: Viśveśvara (Śiva) beholds the distressed universe, then journeys toward the blazing, sharp-rayed Sūrya; a meeting of two cosmic authorities—Śiva calm and ash-smeared, Sūrya radiant and intense—set against a celestial backdrop.
FAQs
When the cosmos is disturbed, Īśvara intervenes as protector—divine compassion restores balance and channels power toward dharma.
Viśveśvara—Śiva’s supreme form in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)—is central, reinforcing Kāśī’s identity as the seat of the Lord who protects the world.
No direct ritual is stated; the verse highlights divine intervention and the granting of a boon.