Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

गोकर्णेश्वरमभ्यर्च्य हाटकेशमथो व्रजेत् । अस्थिक्षेप तडागे च दृष्ट्वा वै कीकसेश्वरम्

Transliteration

gokarṇeśvaramabhyarcya hāṭakeśamatho vrajet | asthikṣepa taḍāge ca dṛṣṭvā vai kīkaseśvaram

Translation

如法供奉果迦耳尼自在天（Gokarṇeśvara）后，当往哈塔克自在天（Hāṭakeśa）。并于名为“阿斯提克舍帕”（Asthikṣepa）的池畔，确应瞻礼吉迦塞自在天（Kīkaseśvara）。

Word by Word

• गोकर्णेश्वरम्: Gokarṇeśvara
• गोकर्णेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोकर्ण-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (गोकर्णस्य ईश्वरः) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि√अर्च् (धातु; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभावः; क्त्वान्त (absolutive) — ‘having worshipped’

• हाटकेशम्: Hāṭakeśa
• हाटकेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटक-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (हाटकस्य ईशः) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमार्थक (particle) — ‘then’

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — ‘he should go’

• अस्थिक्षेप: at Asthikṣepa (place of bone-casting)
• अस्थिक्षेप: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि-क्षेप (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अधिकरण); (अस्थीनां क्षेपः) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; पद्ये ‘अस्थिक्षेप-तडागे’ इति समाससंबन्धः

• तडागे: in the pond
• तडागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तडाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण — ‘in/at the pond’

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

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभावः; क्त्वान्त — ‘having seen’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/खल्वर्थक (particle) — ‘indeed’

• कीकसेश्वरम्: Kīkaseśvara
• कीकसेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीकस-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कीकसस्य ईश्वरः) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asthikṣepa-taḍāga (within Kāśī circuit)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs pūjā at Gokarṇeśvara, then walks to a market-adjacent shrine of Hāṭakeśa; finally, a quiet pond labeled Asthikṣepa reflects lamps as the pilgrim bows at Kīkaseśvara nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Gokarṇeśvara
• Hāṭakeśa
• Asthikṣepa Taḍāga
• Kīkaseśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Kāśī combines pūjā (active worship) with darśana (reverent seeing), sanctifying both action and intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Asthikṣepa Taḍāga (a sacred pond) and the associated shrines—Gokarṇeśvara, Hāṭakeśa, and Kīkaseśvara—within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (abhyarcana) of Gokarṇeśvara and then visiting the other shrines; the mention of Asthikṣepa pond implies tīrtha-visitation associated with ancestral/ritual purity themes.