Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47
देवदेव उवाच । वरं वरय संतप्त तपसा क्लेशितं वपुः । त्वयेदं बालवपुषा वशीकृतं मनो मम
devadeva uvāca | varaṃ varaya saṃtapta tapasā kleśitaṃ vapuḥ | tvayedaṃ bālavapuṣā vaśīkṛtaṃ mano mama
Devadeva phán: “Hãy chọn một ân phúc, hỡi người bị lửa khổ hạnh thiêu đốt, thân thể đã mỏi mòn vì tapas. Dẫu mang thân trẻ thơ, ngươi vẫn khiến chính tâm ta phải quy phục.”
Śiva (Devadeva)
Listener: Kumāra (a prince/devotee)
Scene: Śiva, addressed as Devadeva, speaks compassionately to a youthful yet tapas-scorched prince/ascetic, acknowledging the power of his austerity and inviting him to choose a boon.
FAQs
Spiritual authority comes from sincerity and endurance in tapas, not from age or status.
Kāśī’s sacred narrative frame emphasizes the kṣetra where Śiva becomes easily propitiated.
The practice highlighted is tapas leading to varadāna (granting of boons).