Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

स्वकंठं घर्षयत्येव केकिकंठे भुजंगमः । भुजंगमफणापृष्ठे नकुलः स्वकुलोचितम्

Transliteration

svakaṃṭhaṃ gharṣayatyeva kekikaṃṭhe bhujaṃgamaḥ | bhujaṃgamaphaṇāpṛṣṭhe nakulaḥ svakulocitam

Translation

Le serpent frotte sa propre gorge contre le cou du paon; et sur le dos du serpent au capuchon déployé, la mangouste agit selon l’usage de son espèce, mais à Kāśī sans inimitié.

Word by Word

• sva-kaṇṭham: his own neck/throat
• sva-kaṇṭham: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वस्य कण्ठः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• gharṣayati: rubs/scrapes
• gharṣayati: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gharṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• keki-kaṇṭhe: on the peacock’s neck
• keki-kaṇṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kekin (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (केकिनः कण्ठः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• bhujaṃgamaḥ: a serpent
• bhujaṃgamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhujaṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhujaṃgama-phaṇā-pṛṣṭhe: on the back of a serpent’s hood
• bhujaṃgama-phaṇā-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhujaṃgama (प्रातिपदिक) + phaṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भुजंगमस्य फणायाः पृष्ठे); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (पृष्ठ), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• nakulaḥ: a mongoose
• nakulaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sva-kula-ucitam: what is proper to its own kind
• sva-kula-ucitam: Karma (कर्म/Object; implied ‘does/acts’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदik) + kula (प्रातिपदik) + ucita (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वकुलस्य उचितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्मरूपेण/क्रियाविशेष्य)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kshetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A peacock stands serene as a serpent gently rubs its throat along the peacock’s neck; nearby, a mongoose stands atop a hooded serpent’s back, poised yet peaceful—no attack, only calm coexistence within Kāśī’s aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Bhujaṅgama (serpent)
• Keki/Mayūra (peacock)
• Nakula (mongoose)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even deep-seated antagonisms are subdued in the holy field, teaching that proximity to Śiva’s presence can master instinct and hatred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra as a whole.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.