Skandapurana 4.52.9.5

4.52.9.5

prajāsaṃtāpajovahnirvajrāgnerapi dāruṇaḥ ..
dvitrāndahati vajrāgniḥ pūrvo rājyaṃ kulaṃ tanum .. 59 ..
yadāvabhṛthasisrāsurbhaveyaṃ dvijasattama ..
tadā viprapadāṃbhobhirabhiṣekaṃ karomyaham .. 4.2.52.60 ..
havanaṃ brāhmaṇamukhe yatkaromi dvijottama ..
manye kratukriyābhyopi tadviśiṣṭaṃ mahāmate ..61..
abhilāṣeṣu sarveṣu jāgartyeko hṛdīha me ..
adyāpi mārgaṇaḥ kopi draṣṭavyaḥ svatanorapi .. 62 ..
aho ahobhirbahubhiḥ phalito me manorathaḥ ..
yattvaṃ medya gṛhe prāptaḥ kiṃcitprārthayituṃ dvija .. 63 ..
ekāgramānaso vipra yajñānvipuladakṣiṇān ..
bahūnyajakṛtaṃ viddhi sāhāyyaṃ sarvavastuṣu .. 64 ..
iti rājño mahābuddherdharmaśīlasya bhāṣitam ..
śrutvā tuṣṭamanāḥ sraṣṭā kratusaṃbhāramāharat .. 65 ..
sāhāyyaṃ prāpya rājarṣerdivodāsasya padmabhūḥ ..
iyāja daśabhiḥ kāśyāmaśvamedhairmahāmakhaiḥ ..66 ..
adyāpi homadhūmoghairyadvyāptaṃ gaganāṃtaram ..
tadā prabhṛti na vyoma nīlimānaṃ jahātyadaḥ .. 67 ..
tīrthaṃ daśāśvamedhākhyaṃ prathitaṃ jagatītale ..
tadā prabhṛti tatrāsīdvārāṇasyāṃ śubhapradam .. 68 ..
purā rudrasaro nāma tattīrthaṃ kalaśodbhava ..
daśāśvamedhikaṃ paścājjātaṃ vidhiparigrahāt .. 69 ..
svardhunyatha tataḥ prāptā bhagīrathasamāgamāt ..
atīva puṇyavajjātamatastattīrthamuttamam ..4.2.52.70..
vidhirdaśāśvamedheśaṃ liṃgaṃ saṃsthāpya tatra vai..
sthitavānna gatodyāpi kvāpi kāśīṃ vihāya tu .. 71 ..
rājño dharmaratestasya cchidraṃ nāvāpa kiṃcana ..
ataḥ purāreḥ purato vrajitvā kiṃ vadedvidhiḥ .. 72 ..
kṣetraprabhāvaṃ vijñāya dhyāyanviśveśvaraṃ śivam ..

"The fire born of distress among subjects is more terrible even than the fire of a thunderbolt; / the fire of a thunderbolt burns two or three, but the former consumes a kingdom, family, and body. / When I am about to take the avabhṛtha bath, O best of brahmins, / I then perform an ablution with the water from the feet of brahmins. / The oblation I make into the mouth of a brahmin, O best among the twice-born— / I consider that superior even to sacrificial rites, O great-minded one. / Among all desires, one keeps vigil here in my heart: / even today, some petitioner asking even for my own body must be seen. / Oh, after many days my wish has borne fruit, / since today you have arrived at my house to make a request, O brahmin. / With a focused mind, O brahmin, perform many sacrifices / with lavish sacrificial fees; know that assistance is given in all matters." / Having heard this speech of the deeply wise, righteous king, / the Creator, pleased in mind, brought together the provisions for the sacrifice. / Having received the assistance of the royal seer Divodāsa, the lotus-born [Brahmā] / sacrificed in Kāśī with ten horse-sacrifices, great sacrificial rites. / The space of the sky was filled with masses of sacrificial smoke even then; / from that time on, this sky has not lost its blueness. / The sacred ford named Daśāśvamedha became renowned across the earthly realm; / from that time on it existed in Vārāṇasī, bestowing auspiciousness. / Formerly, O pot-born [Agastya], that sacred ford was known as Rudrasaras; / it later became known as Daśāśvamedhika due to its adoption by the Creator. / Then the celestial river arrived through the coming of Bhagīratha; / hence that supreme sacred ford became exceedingly meritorious. / Having consecrated the liṅga Daśāśvamedheśa there indeed, / the Creator remained; even to this day he has gone nowhere leaving Kāśī behind. / He found no flaw whatsoever in that king devoted to righteousness; / hence what could the Creator say, going before the enemy of Tripura? / Recognizing the power of the sacred field, meditating on Śiva the Lord of the Universe,