Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कृत्तिवासं तथैकाम्रे छागलेये कपर्दिनम् । कालिञ्जरे नीलकण्ठं श्रीकण्ठं मण्डलेश्वरे

Transliteration

kṛttivāsaṃ tathaikāmre chāgaleye kapardinam | kāliñjare nīlakaṇṭhaṃ śrīkaṇṭhaṃ maṇḍaleśvare

Translation

ഏകാമ്രത്തിൽ അദ്ദേഹം ‘കൃത്തിവാസൻ’, ഛാഗലേയത്തിൽ ‘കപർദിൻ’. കാലിഞ്ജരത്തിൽ ‘നീലകണ്ഠൻ’, മണ്ഡലേശ്വരത്തിൽ ‘ശ്രീകണ്ഠൻ’ ആയി സ്തുത്യൻ।

Word by Word

• कृत्तिवासम्: Kṛttivāsa (wearer of skin; name/form)
• कृत्तिवासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृत्तिः + वासः)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थे (adverb: likewise)

• एकाम्रे: at Ekāmra
• एकाम्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकाम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (एकः + आम्रः)

• छागलेये: at Chāgaleya
• छागलेये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छागलेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• कपर्दिनम्: Kapardin (with matted hair; name/form)
• कपर्दिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपर्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कालिञ्जरे: at Kāliñjara
• कालिञ्जरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• नीलकण्ठम्: Nīlakaṇṭha (blue-throated; name/form)
• नीलकण्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीलकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (नीलः + कण्ठः)

• श्रीकण्ठम्: Śrīkaṇṭha (auspicious-throated; name/form)
• श्रीकण्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (श्रीः + कण्ठः)

• मण्डलेश्वरे: at Maṇḍaleśvara
• मण्डलेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डलेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मण्डलस्य + ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ekāmra / Chāgaleya / Kāliñjara / Maṇḍaleśvara (clustered listing)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-shrine panorama: Ekāmra’s sacred grove with a skin-clad ascetic Śiva presence (Kṛttivāsa); Chāgaleya with Kapardin—matted locks, crescent moon; Kāliñjara with Nīlakaṇṭha—blue throat, ocean-churning symbolism in the background; Maṇḍaleśvara with Śrīkaṇṭha—radiant, auspicious, richly adorned liṅga in a mandala-like sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Ekāmra
• Chāgaleya
• Kāliñjara
• Maṇḍaleśvara
• Kṛttivāsa
• Kapardin
• Nīlakaṇṭha
• Śrīkaṇṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s cosmic deeds and yogic form are remembered through place-based names—each tīrtha preserves a facet of his compassion and power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ekāmra, Chāgaleya, Kāliñjara, and Maṇḍaleśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; it is a māhātmya-style mapping of epithets for worship and pilgrimage remembrance.