Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

कर्कोटनामा नागोस्ति गन्धर्वेश्वरपूर्वतः । तत्र कर्कोटवापी च लिंगं कर्कोटकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

karkoṭanāmā nāgosti gandharveśvarapūrvataḥ | tatra karkoṭavāpī ca liṃgaṃ karkoṭakeśvaram

Translation

À l’est de Gandharveśvara se trouve un Nāga nommé Karkoṭa. Là se trouvent aussi l’étang de Karkoṭa et le liṅga appelé Karkoṭakeśvara.

Word by Word

• कर्कोटनामा: named Karkoṭa
• कर्कोटनामा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्कोट + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘कर्कोट-नाम यस्य सः’

• नागः: a serpent (Nāga)
• नागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गन्धर्वेश्वरपूर्वतः: to the east of Gandharveśvara (in front/eastward)
• गन्धर्वेश्वरपूर्वतः: Adhikarana (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गन्धर्वेश्वर + पूर्वतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (directional adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• कर्कोटवापी: the Karkoṭa-tank
• कर्कोटवापी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्कोट + वापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• लिङ्गम्: a liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• कर्कोटकेश्वरम्: (called) Karkoṭakeśvara
• कर्कोटकेश्वरम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्कोटक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karkoṭa-vāpī and Karkoṭakeśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small well-pond (vāpī) near a liṅga shrine; a majestic serpent-being (Nāga) is hinted at—either as a carved emblem, a shadow in water, or a protective presence—signaling Karkoṭa’s guardianship.

Characters & Entities

• Gandharveśvara
• Karkoṭa (Nāga)
• Karkoṭa-vāpī
• Karkoṭakeśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness integrates Śaiva liṅgas with local guardian beings (Nāgas), revealing a layered sacred ecology of place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Karkoṭa-vāpī and the liṅga Karkoṭakeśvara, located east of Gandharveśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse primarily identifies the sites; subsequent verses prescribe bathing and worship there.