Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 205
कदाचित्तत्पितृव्येण समीप ग्रामवासिना । श्रुतः कार्पटिकानां हि सार्थः सार्थो महास्वनः
kadācittatpitṛvyeṇa samīpa grāmavāsinā | śrutaḥ kārpaṭikānāṃ hi sārthaḥ sārtho mahāsvanaḥ
ایک بار اس کے چچا نے، جو قریب کے گاؤں میں رہتا تھا، کارپٹکوں یعنی فقیرانہ سادھوؤں کے قافلے کی بڑی ہنگامہ خیز آواز سنی—گویا پورا سفر کرنے والا جتھا تھا۔
Skanda (deduced; narrative voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa)
Listener: Primary listener of Kāśī-kathā
Scene: A dusty road near a village: a loud, bustling caravan of kārpaṭikas—patched garments, staffs, begging bowls—moving in a tight band; a villager-uncle hears the roar from afar.
FAQs
The māhātmya often advances through lived social scenes—pilgrims, ascetics, and travel—showing how sacred geography draws seekers and sets dharmic events in motion.
The broader Kāśī setting remains the frame, though this verse itself introduces a narrative episode rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
None in this verse; it is narrative setup.