Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38
शकलीकृत्य बहुशः शिलावत्प्रलयानलम् । नंदी च नंदिषेणश्च सोमनंदी महोदरः
śakalīkṛtya bahuśaḥ śilāvatpralayānalam | naṃdī ca naṃdiṣeṇaśca somanaṃdī mahodaraḥ
അവർ പ്രളയാഗ്നിയെയും കല്ലുപോലെ കരുതി വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും തകർത്തു ചിതറിച്ചു. അവിടെ നന്ദി, നന്ദിഷേണൻ, സോമനന്ദി, മഹോദരൻ—ശിവഗണങ്ങളുടെ മഹാബലനായ നേതാക്കൾ നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു.
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A ring of formidable gaṇas around a blazing pralaya-fire, striking and shattering it as if it were stone; Nandī and named leaders stand in front of Kāśī’s luminous skyline and a distant Viśvanātha liṅga aura.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as divinely protected—Śiva’s gaṇas are depicted as overpowering even cosmic-scale threats, affirming unwavering refuge in Śiva’s domain.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a whole—its sanctity and supernatural guardianship within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.
None in this verse; it is primarily a narrative listing of Śiva’s gaṇa leaders and their might.