Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47
दाक्षिणात्य इह प्राप्तस्त्वेतया सह कांतया । ध्यायामि लिंगमेतच्च प्रार्थयामि न किंचन
dākṣiṇātya iha prāptastvetayā saha kāṃtayā | dhyāyāmi liṃgametacca prārthayāmi na kiṃcana
“میں جنوبی دیس سے اپنی اس محبوبہ زوجہ کے ساتھ یہاں آیا ہوں۔ میں اس لِنگ کا دھیان کرتا ہوں، اور میں کچھ بھی نہیں مانگتا۔”
King Vṛddhakāla (as quoted within Skanda’s narration)
Type: temple
Listener: Sages (frame) / aged tapasvin within episode
Scene: A royal couple, travel-worn yet serene, stands before a liṅga in Kāśī; the king declares he seeks nothing, only meditates—hands folded, eyes half-closed, wife beside him in quiet support.
FAQs
The highest devotion in a tīrtha is niṣkāma—worship of Śiva without bargaining for worldly rewards.
Kāśī is affirmed as a pan-Indian pilgrimage destination, drawing devotees even from the far South.
Dhyāna (meditation) on the liṅga, with an attitude of non-asking (niṣkāma-prārthanā).