Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
अद्यैव किं न गच्छेयं काशीं ब्रह्मन्स्वमायया । दिवोदासं स्वधर्मस्थं न तूल्लंघितुमुत्सहे
adyaiva kiṃ na gaccheyaṃ kāśīṃ brahmansvamāyayā | divodāsaṃ svadharmasthaṃ na tūllaṃghitumutsahe
اے برہمن، میں اپنی الٰہی مایا سے آج ہی کاشی کیوں نہ چلا جاؤں؟ مگر دیووداس جو اپنے دھرم پر قائم ہے، اس کی حد سے بڑھنے کی مجھے جرأت نہیں۔
Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (frame)
Scene: Śiva contemplates going to Kāśī instantly by divine power but refrains, acknowledging Divodāsa’s steadfast dharma; Brahmā stands nearby as counselor, while Kāśī glows in the distance, unreachable by mere force.
FAQs
Dharma is honored even by the divine; righteous kingship (svadharma) is not casually violated, even for access to a supreme sacred place.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), desired immediately even by Śiva, yet approached within the boundaries of dharma.
None; the verse emphasizes dharmic restraint and the narrative of Divodāsa’s governance in Kāśī.