Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46
विशाल सालमादाय कुर्वन्किल किलारवम् । कश्चित्तमभितो याति कालो दंडधरो यथा
viśāla sālamādāya kurvankila kilāravam | kaścittamabhito yāti kālo daṃḍadharo yathā
Cầm lấy một cây sala khổng lồ và cất tiếng kêu chói tai, lách cách, một kẻ nào đó lảng vảng xung quanh cậu bé—như chính Thời gian (Tử thần) đang cầm trượng.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya
Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)
Scene: A fearsome figure circles a steadfast person, brandishing a massive śāla trunk like a staff; dust and shadows swirl as if Time itself patrols the perimeter.
FAQs
In sacred Kāśī, fearsome visions may arise, but they are tests—steadfastness and inner dharma overcome the terror of ‘Death-like’ appearances.
The broader sacred field of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where spiritual trials highlight the city’s purifying power.
No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it depicts a fear-inducing apparition as part of a larger kāśī-māhātmya narrative.