Skandapurana 4.52.9.6

4.52.9.6

and having established Brahmeśvara, the Creator remained right there. / "Kāśī is determined to be the supreme body of the Lord of the Universe; / from serving it, Śambhu will not be angry with me in person. / What foolish person, having attained Kāśī, would ever wish to abandon it here again, / capable [as it is] of uprooting karma generated through many births? / In the abode of the Lord of the Universe, who destroys the distress of the universe, his body / is sorely tormented by the great fire born of separation from Kāśī. / But whoever, having attained Kāśī, which destroys the mass of all sins, would abandon it, / should be recognized as a beast in human form, turning his back on supreme joy. / Whoever desires the fortune of nirvāṇa, leaving behind the misery of saṃsāra, / must not abandon Kāśī if it is obtained by the grace of Īśa. / That fool who, completely abandoning Kāśī, would go elsewhere— / from the palm of his hand departs the rising fruit of the four aims of life. / Destroyer of a multitude of sins, enhancer of immense merit, / bestower of the bliss of liberation—having reached Kāśī, what foolish person would abandon it? / Where is such bliss in Satyaloka? Where is bliss in the abode of Viṣṇu, / as that bliss which is obtained in Kāśī by worshipping for half a moment?" / Having thus resolved upon the multitude of virtues of Vārāṇasī, Druhiṇa [Brahmā], / turning away, did not return again to Mount Mandara, O sage. / Skanda said: / O son of Mitra and Varuṇa, I shall tell you the greatness / of Daśāśvamedha in Kāśī, the crest-jewel of all sacred fords. / Having reached Daśāśvamedhika, the best of the best of all sacred fords, / whatever action is performed is said to be imperishable here. / Bathing, giving gifts, silent recitation, oblations into the fire, study of the Vedas, worship of deities, / twilight prayers, water libations, ancestral rites, and honoring the ancestors— / having bathed once at the sacred ford of Daśāśvamedhika, the best among men,