Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37
शिवशर्मेति संचिंत्य बुद्धिं संधाय सर्वतः । निश्चिकाय मनस्येवं भवेत्क्षेमतरं मम
śivaśarmeti saṃciṃtya buddhiṃ saṃdhāya sarvataḥ | niścikāya manasyevaṃ bhavetkṣemataraṃ mama
Sa pagninilay sa ‘kalinga at kapayapaan ni Śiva,’ at sa pagtitipon ng aking isip mula sa lahat ng panig, nagpasiya ako sa loob: ‘Sa ganitong paraan, higit itong ligtas at mapalad para sa akin.’
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya; inner resolve described)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim sits on a ghat at dawn, eyes closed, hands in añjali, mentally repeating ‘Śivaśarma’; swirling distractions (symbols of senses) gather and dissolve into a calm aura shaped like a liṅga or trident.
FAQs
Collecting the mind and taking refuge in Śiva is portrayed as the most secure course amid life’s uncertainty.
The Kāśī Śaiva milieu is implied—Kāśī as Śiva’s city where taking Śiva as refuge is especially fitting.
A prescription of sankalpa: mental consolidation and Śiva-centered resolve, preceding outward pilgrimage or rites.