Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64
यदि नो मय्यनुक्रोशः कथं तापससंगतिः । तद्रूपेण स्वयं शंभुरानिनायेह मां ध्रुवम्
yadi no mayyanukrośaḥ kathaṃ tāpasasaṃgatiḥ | tadrūpeṇa svayaṃ śaṃbhurānināyeha māṃ dhruvam
Nếu không có lòng thương xót dành cho con, làm sao con có thể gặp được vị khổ hạnh ấy? Chính Śambhu, trong hình tướng ấy, chắc chắn đã đưa con đến đây.
Tvaṣṭṛ’s son (tvāṣṭraḥ)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Viśveśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: sages
Scene: A saffron-clad ascetic with matted hair leads a bewildered devotee through Kāśī’s lanes toward a glowing shrine; the ascetic subtly radiates Śiva-like signs (third eye mark, crescent motif).
FAQs
Divine compassion can manifest as providential encounters—Śiva may guide a devotee through an ascetic form.
Kāśī is the implied destination (‘here’), consistent with Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.
No explicit ritual; the verse points to satsanga with holy ascetics as a grace-born spiritual aid.