Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12
ऐरावतो दंतिवरश्चतुर्दंतोत्र राजते । द्वितीय इव कैलासो जंगमस्फटिकोज्ज्वलः
airāvato daṃtivaraścaturdaṃtotra rājate | dvitīya iva kailāso jaṃgamasphaṭikojjvalaḥ
Hier erstrahlt Airāvata, der beste der Elefanten, vierzähnig und prachtvoll—wie ein zweiter Kailāsa, leuchtend wie wandelnder Kristall.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-seeking interlocutor (traditional frame)
Scene: A four-tusked Airāvata, white as crystal, moves along the ghats; his body reflects lamp-light like sphaṭika; behind him rises a Kailāsa-like luminous mountain-form, suggesting Kāśī itself as a moving Kailāsa; devotees gaze in awe.
FAQs
The kṣetra is presented as a living Kailāsa—where the divine is not distant but visibly present.
Kāśī is glorified by being likened to Kailāsa and adorned with Indra’s Airāvata.
None; the verse functions as descriptive praise supporting faith in pilgrimage and residence in the sacred city.