Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81
किमिदं देवदेवेन सर्वज्ञेन त्वया विभो । क्रियते जगतां धात्रा सर्वपापहराऽव्यय
kimidaṃ devadevena sarvajñena tvayā vibho | kriyate jagatāṃ dhātrā sarvapāpaharā'vyaya
اے ربِّ عظیم! اے دیوتاؤں کے دیوتا، اے سب کچھ جاننے والے، اے جہانوں کے پالنے والے، اے تمام گناہوں کو دور کرنے والے، اے لازوال—یہ آپ کیا کر رہے ہیں؟
Viṣṇu (Hṛṣīkeśa) addressing Śiva
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Primary listener(s) of Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse (traditionally sages/Śaunaka line); immediate interlocutors in-scene: Viṣṇu addressing Śiva
Scene: Viṣṇu, filled with wonder, addresses Śiva with epithets—Deva-deva, Sarvajña, Dhātṛ—questioning a mysterious act; the setting evokes Kāśī’s sanctity and Śiva’s austere presence.
FAQs
Divine actions may appear puzzling; inquiry made with reverence opens understanding of dharma and cosmic purpose.
The setting is within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the broader glorification is of Kāśī as the stage of Śiva’s liberating acts.
No explicit ritual; it introduces a theological question about Śiva’s conduct.