Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94
यदा स देवो विश्वेशो मंदरं गतवान्पुरा । तदा काशीवियोगेन जाता तस्येदृशी दशा
yadā sa devo viśveśo maṃdaraṃ gatavānpurā | tadā kāśīviyogena jātā tasyedṛśī daśā
“Thuở trước, khi Đấng Viśveśa ấy đi đến Mandara, thì vì xa lìa Kāśī mà nơi Ngài cũng phát sinh tình trạng như thế.”
Śrī (Haripriyā; Lakṣmī), speaking within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative context
Tirtha: Kāśī; Mandara
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: A flashback tableau: Viśveśa departing Kāśī toward Mandara; Kāśī behind him glows like an eternal city; the path is filled with a subtle aura of separation, suggesting cosmic imbalance when Śiva is away from his kṣetra.
FAQs
The bond between the deity and the sacred place is absolute: Kāśī is not merely a location but the Lord’s own chosen seat of grace.
Kāśī is glorified as Viśveśa’s essential abode; even the Lord’s going elsewhere leads to ‘viyoga’ effects.
None explicitly; the verse reinforces the devotional priority of Kāśī-darśana and residence/return.