Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
क्वचिद्विप्रः क्वचिद्राजपुत्रो वैश्योंत्यजः क्वचित । ब्रह्मचारी क्वचिदभूद्गृही वनचरः क्वचित्
kvacidvipraḥ kvacidrājaputro vaiśyoṃtyajaḥ kvacita | brahmacārī kvacidabhūdgṛhī vanacaraḥ kvacit
Khi thì hắn là vipra brāhmaṇa, khi lại là vương tử; khi là vaiśya, khi thậm chí là antyaja bị ruồng bỏ. Có lúc hắn làm brahmacārī, có lúc làm gia chủ, và có lúc làm kẻ ở rừng.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis
Scene: A sequence of the same man appearing as brāhmaṇa, prince, vaiśya, outcaste, brahmacārin, gṛhastha, and forest-dweller—each costume convincing—moving through Kāśī’s streets and ghats like an actor in a moral drama.
FAQs
Dharma must be upheld toward all, regardless of varṇa or āśrama appearance; tests come through social disguises.
Kāśī, as the sacred theatre where universal dharma is demonstrated across social identities.
None; the verse lists social/āśrama identities rather than prescribing rites.