Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 158
असिसंभेद योगेन काशीसंस्थोऽमृतो भवेत् । देहत्यागोऽत्र वै दानं देहत्यागोत्र वै तपः
asisaṃbheda yogena kāśīsaṃstho'mṛto bhavet | dehatyāgo'tra vai dānaṃ dehatyāgotra vai tapaḥ
اَسیسَنبھید نامی یوگ کے ذریعے، جو کاشی میں رہتا ہے وہ اَمَر ہو جاتا ہے۔ یہاں جسم کا ترک کرنا ہی دان ہے؛ یہاں جسم کا ترک کرنا ہی تپسیا ہے۔
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya (Kalaśaja)
Scene: A serene Kāśī scene at the ghats: an aged yogin in meditation, subtle sword-like light (asi) cutting bonds; Śiva’s compassionate presence indicates liberation; the act of deha-tyāga is shown symbolically as a lotus releasing a petal, not violence.
FAQs
Kāśī is taught as a mokṣa-kṣetra where liberation is uniquely accessible; even death there is sanctified as supreme spiritual offering.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the preeminent mokṣa-kṣetra.
Implicitly, residence in Kāśī and adherence to the liberating discipline termed Asisaṃbheda-yoga; the verse also frames dehatyāga in Kāśī as the highest dāna and tapas.