Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

प्रतीच्यां गजकर्णश्च सर्वेषां क्षेमकारकः । चित्रघंटो गणपतिर्वायव्यां पालयेत्पुरीम्

Transliteration

pratīcyāṃ gajakarṇaśca sarveṣāṃ kṣemakārakaḥ | citraghaṃṭo gaṇapatirvāyavyāṃ pālayetpurīm

Translation

Di penjuru barat berdiri Gajakarṇa, pembawa kesejahteraan dan keselamatan bagi sekalian. Dan di penjuru barat laut, Gaṇapati bernama Citraghaṇṭa memelihara serta melindungi kota Kāśī.

Word by Word

• प्रतीच्याम्: in the west (western direction)
• प्रतीच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतीची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• गजकर्णः: Gajakarṇa (elephant-eared one)
• गजकर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गजस्य कर्णः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• क्षेमकारकः: maker of welfare
• क्षेमकारकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेम + कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षेमस्य कारकः)

• चित्रघण्टः: Citraghaṇṭa (one with a wondrous bell)
• चित्रघण्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र + घण्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (चित्रा घण्टा यस्य/चित्रघण्टः)

• गणपतिः: Gaṇapati
• गणपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• वायव्याम्: in the northwest
• वायव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• पालयेत्: should protect
• पालयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पाल् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (directional Gaṇeśa-sthānas: Gajakarṇa, Citraghaṇṭa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred map-like vision of Kāśī: in the west stands Gaṇeśa ‘Gajakarṇa’ bestowing welfare; in the north-west stands Gaṇapati ‘Citraghaṇṭa’ guarding the city, with subtle directional markers and city-ghāṭ silhouettes.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇapati
• Gajakarṇa
• Citraghaṇṭa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as divinely protected in every direction; devotion aligns one with the city’s guardianship and auspicious order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī—especially the Avimukta sacred field—through its directional guardian forms of Gaṇeśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse functions as a māhātmya-style mapping of protective deities by direction.