Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23
इति नानाविधै रूपैश्चरन्काश्यां ग्रहेश्वरः । न कदापि जने क्वापि च्छिद्रं प्राप कदाचन
iti nānāvidhai rūpaiścarankāśyāṃ graheśvaraḥ | na kadāpi jane kvāpi cchidraṃ prāpa kadācana
یوں سیّارگان کا ربّ، کاشی میں طرح طرح کے بھیس بدل کر گھومتا رہا؛ مگر کبھی، کہیں، کسی میں بھی، ذرّہ برابر عیب نہ پا سکا۔
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration style; immediate speaker not explicit in this verse)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: Graheśvara (lord of planets) wanders through Kāśī in shifting disguises—ascetic, merchant, mendicant—peering into faces and deeds, yet finding no flaw; the city’s ghāṭas and temples glow with an unseen Śaiva aura.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as a realm of heightened dharma where the virtuous are difficult to fault, emphasizing the sanctifying power of the kṣetra.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a whole kṣetra is glorified, rather than a single pond or shrine in this verse.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse focuses on the moral-spiritual excellence associated with dwelling/roaming in Kāśī.