Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुमाचक्षाथां ममाग्रतः । सतां साप्तपदी मैत्री तन्मे मैत्र्या प्रणोदितौ
etadicchāmyahaṃ śrotumācakṣāthāṃ mamāgrataḥ | satāṃ sāptapadī maitrī tanme maitryā praṇoditau
میں یہ سننا چاہتا ہوں—میرے سامنے صاف صاف بیان کرو۔ نیکوں میں ‘سات قدم’ سے دوستی پختہ ہوتی ہے؛ پس دوستی کی ترغیب سے مجھے یہ بات کہو۔
Agastya (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly frames Skanda–Agastya dialogue; here the listener requests the Gaṇas to speak)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: A dvija/brāhmaṇa inquirer
Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa, hands folded, requests a confidential teaching from Śiva’s gaṇas in a Kāśī setting—ghāṭa steps, bilva trees, and a subtle aura of sanctity.
FAQs
True spiritual instruction flows through trust and friendship grounded in dharma, like the ‘seven-step’ bond among the virtuous.
The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, where teachings are presented as part of Kāśī’s spiritual greatness.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces a request for authoritative teaching prompted by sacred friendship.