स्कंद उवाच । इल्वलारे कथामेकां शृणुष्वावहितो भव । वरणायास्तटे रम्ये यद्वृत्त पूर्वमुत्तमम्
skaṃda uvāca | ilvalāre kathāmekāṃ śṛṇuṣvāvahito bhava | varaṇāyāstaṭe ramye yadvṛtta pūrvamuttamam
Skanda nói: “Hỡi Ilvalāra, hãy lắng nghe một câu chuyện—hãy chú tâm. Trên bờ sông Varaṇā mỹ lệ, thuở xưa đã xảy ra một sự việc tối thắng; hãy nghe đây.”
Skanda
Tirtha: Varaṇā-taṭa (kathā-pravṛtti-sthāna)
Type: ghat
Listener: Ilvalāra
Scene: Skanda, radiant and youthful, addresses Ilvalāra, inviting attentive listening to an ancient event that took place on the beautiful bank of the Varaṇā.
Sacred places are illuminated through remembered holy history; attentive listening (śravaṇa) becomes a doorway to understanding the kṣetra’s greatness.
Varaṇā-tīra—the auspicious riverbank within Kāśī.
No external ritual is prescribed; the instruction is śravaṇa—listening attentively to the kṣetra’s sacred account.