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

گندھرویشور کے مشرق میں کرکوٹ نام کا ایک ناگ ہے۔ وہاں کرکوٹ واپی (تالاب) بھی ہے اور کرکوٹکیشور کے نام سے معروف لِنگ بھی ہے۔

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.