Skandapurana 4.52.9.1

4.52.9.1

skaṃda uvāca .. ..
gabhastimālinigate kāśīṃ trailokyamohinīm ..
punaściṃtāmavāpoccairmaṃdarastho mune haraḥ .. 1 ..
nādyāpyāyāṃti yoginyo nādyāpyāyāti tigmaguḥ ..
pravṛttirapi me kāśyāścitramatyaṃta durlabhā ..2..
kimatra citraṃ yatkāśī madīyamapimānasam ..
niścalaṃ caṃcalayati gaṇanā ketaresure ..3..
adhākṣipamahaṃ kāmaṃ trijagajjittvaraṃdṛśā ..
aho kāśyabhilāṣotra māmeva dunuyāttarām..4..
kāśīpravṛttimanveṣṭuṃ kaṃ vā prahiṇuyāmitaḥ ..
jñātuṃ ka eva nipuṇo yataḥ sa caturānanaḥ .. 5 ..
ityāhūya vidhātāraṃ bahumānapuraḥsaram ..
tatropaveśya śrīkaṃṭhaḥ provāca caturānanam .. 6 ..
yoginyaḥ preṣitāḥ pūrvaṃ preṣitotha sahasraguḥ ..
nādyāpi te nivartaṃte kāśyāḥ kalaśasaṃbhava .. 7 ..
sā samutsukayetkāśī lokeśa mama mānasam ..
prākṛtasya janasyeva caṃcalākṣīva kācana .. 8 ..
maṃdaretra ratirme na bhṛśaṃ suṃdarakaṃdare ..
anacchatucchapānīye nakrasyevālpapalvale .. 9 ..
nā bādhiṣṭa tathā māṃ sa tāpo hālāhalodbhavaḥ ..
kāśīvirahajanmātra yathā māmatibādhate .. 4.2.52.10 ..
śītaraśmiḥ śiraḥsthopi varṣanpīyūṣasīkaraiḥ ..
kāśīviśleṣajaṃ tāpaṃ nāho gamayituṃ prabhuḥ .. 11 ..
vidhe vidhehi me kāryamārya dhurya mahāmate ..
yāhi kāśīmitastūrṇaṃ yatasva ca mamehite .. 12 ..
brahmaṃstvameva tadvetsi kāśī tyajanakāraṇam ..
maṃdopi na tyajetkāśīṃ kimu yo vetti kiṃcana ..13..
adyaiva kiṃ na gaccheyaṃ kāśīṃ brahmansvamāyayā ..
divodāsaṃ svadharmasthaṃ na tūllaṃghitumutsahe .. 14..
vidhe sarvavidheyāni tvameva vidadhāsi yat ..
iti ceti ca vaktavyaṃ tvayyapārthamatokhilam ..15..

Skanda said: / When the ray-garlanded sun had gone to Kāśī, which enchants the three worlds, / Hara, staying on Mount Mandara, again fell into deep anxiety, O sage: / ‘Even today the yoginīs do not return; even today the sharp-rayed sun does not return. / Even news of Kāśī is exceedingly difficult for me to obtain—how strange! / What wonder is it that Kāśī shakes even my mind, / motionless though it is? What calculation then can be made of any other god? / With a glance I burned Kāma, the conqueror of the three worlds; / alas, longing for Kāśī torments me even more! / Whom indeed can I dispatch from here to investigate news of Kāśī? / Who indeed is skilled to discern it, except the four-faced one [Brahmā]?’ / Thus summoning the Creator with great respect / and seating him there, Śrīkaṇṭha spoke to the four-faced one: / ‘The yoginīs were sent previously; then the thousand-rayed sun was sent; / even today they do not return from Kāśī, O pot-born one! / That Kāśī stirs longing in my mind, O lord of the world, / like some fickle-eyed maiden stirs an ordinary man! / Here on Mandara, in this lovely cave, I find no great delight, / like a crocodile in a shallow pond of impure, turbid water! / The heat born of the hālāhala poison did not afflict me so, / as the anguish born of separation from Kāśī intensely afflicts me here! / Even though seated on my head, raining drops of nectar, / the cool-rayed moon is unable, alas, to dispel the heat born of separation from Kāśī! / O Creator, execute my task, O noble, foremost, wise one! / Go quickly from here to Kāśī, and strive for my desire! / O Brahmā, you alone know the reason for leaving Kāśī; / even a fool would not leave Kāśī, let alone one who understands anything! / Why should I not go to Kāśī this very day by my own māyā, O Brahmā? / But I do not wish to transgress King Divodāsa, who abides by his duty! / O Creator, since you yourself arrange all things that must be arranged, / saying “do this” and “do that” to you is altogether pointless!’