Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46
कथयित्वेति देवेशस्तत्कृत्तिं परिगृह्य च । गजासुरस्य महतीं प्रावृणोद्धरिदंबरः
kathayitveti deveśastatkṛttiṃ parigṛhya ca | gajāsurasya mahatīṃ prāvṛṇoddharidaṃbaraḥ
இவ்வாறு கூறி தேவேசன் அந்தத் தோலை எடுத்துக் கொண்டு, கஜாசுரனின் பெரும் சருமத்தையும் பெற்றுத், திகம்பரன் (ஹரிதம்பரன்) அதைத் தன் உடலில் போர்த்திக் கொண்டான்।
Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame: Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kṛttivāsa (etiology)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja) is explicitly addressed in the next verse; this verse continues that narrative flow
Scene: Śiva, sky-clad (Digambara), lifts and wraps the massive elephant-asura hide around himself; the slain Gajāsura’s form is implied; attendants watch in awe; the scene foreshadows the epithet Kṛttivāsa.
FAQs
Śiva’s victory over demonic forces becomes a sacred emblem, transforming a violent episode into a sign of divine protection and grace.
The Kṛttivāseśvara tradition in Kāśī, whose name is linked to Śiva wearing the ‘kṛtti’ (hide).
None directly; it provides mythic context for the deity’s epithet and shrine’s sanctity.