Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70
वाराणसीति विख्याता तदारभ्य महामुने । असेश्च वरणायाश्च संगमं प्राप्य काशिका
vārāṇasīti vikhyātā tadārabhya mahāmune | aseśca varaṇāyāśca saṃgamaṃ prāpya kāśikā
Từ đó về sau, hỡi bậc đại hiền, Kāśikā, khi đã đến nơi hợp lưu của sông Asi và sông Varaṇā, liền được biết đến rộng rãi với danh xưng ‘Vārāṇasī’.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Asi–Varaṇā sambandha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahāmuni
Scene: A map-like sacred vista: Kāśī city resting between two flowing streams labeled Asi and Varaṇā, meeting the Gaṅgā; sages point as the name ‘Vārāṇasī’ is proclaimed.
FAQs
The very name ‘Vārāṇasī’ is grounded in sacred geography—Kāśī’s identity is tied to the confluence of its protecting rivers.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, particularly the saṅgama (confluence) of Asi and Varaṇā.
None explicitly; the verse provides etymological-sacred context for the kṣetra’s name and locus.