Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95
।श्रीसूर्य उवाच । तथास्त्विति महाप्राज्ञ शृण्वन्यं वरमुत्तमम् । त्वयेयं पूजिता मूर्तिरेवं काश्यां महामते
|śrīsūrya uvāca | tathāstviti mahāprājña śṛṇvanyaṃ varamuttamam | tvayeyaṃ pūjitā mūrtirevaṃ kāśyāṃ mahāmate
شری سورَی نے کہا: “تथاستُو، اے نہایت دانا! اب ایک اور بہترین ور سنو۔ اے عالی ہمت! کاشی میں اسی طرح یہ مورتی تمہارے ہاتھوں پوجی گئی ہے۔”
Sūrya
Tirtha: Vimalāditya (Sūrya) mūrti in Kāśī
Type: temple
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame typical)
Scene: Sūrya speaks directly, granting the requested boon and announcing an additional excellent boon tied to the worship of the image in Kāśī; the moment is one of divine speech and consecratory affirmation.
FAQs
When devotion is sincere, the deity confirms the devotee’s prayer and also sanctifies the form (mūrti) through which worship was offered.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly named as the place where the Sūrya image is worshipped and blessed.
Implicit validation of mūrti-pūjā in Kāśī—worship of the Sun’s image as performed by the devotee.