Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

चखान च त्रिशूलेन दक्षिणाशोपकंठतः । कुंडं प्रचंडवेगेन रुद्रोरुद्रवपुर्धरः

Transliteration

cakhāna ca triśūlena dakṣiṇāśopakaṃṭhataḥ | kuṃḍaṃ pracaṃḍavegena rudrorudravapurdharaḥ

Translation

ثم إن رودرا، حاملاً هيئة رودرا العنيفة، حفر بحربته الثلاثية حوضًا عند الجانب الجنوبي، بقوةٍ هائلة الاندفاع.

Word by Word

• चखान: dug
• चखान: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• त्रिशूलेन: with a trident
• त्रिशूलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिशूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• दक्षिणाशोपकण्ठतः: from the vicinity of the southern direction
• दक्षिणाशोपकण्ठतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + आशा (प्रातिपदिक) + उपकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (दक्षिणायाः आशायाः उपकण्ठात्); पञ्चमी-अर्थे देशवाचक अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• कुण्डम्: a pit/basin
• कुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्रचण्डवेगेन: with tremendous force
• प्रचण्डवेगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रचण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (प्रचण्डः वेगः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उद्रवपुःधरः: the one bearing a formidable body
• उद्रवपुःधरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि (उद्रं वपुः यस्य सः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; रुद्रस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kuṇḍa created by Rudra (name not given in verse)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage addressed as ‘muni’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra in a fierce form strikes the earth with his triśūla at the southern side of the shrine; the ground splits and a basin is carved instantly, dust and energy swirling with divine force.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Triśūla
• Kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places arise from divine intention—Śiva himself establishes supports for ritual purity and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Śaiva kuṇḍa/tīrtha within Kāśī, created by Rudra’s act and thus counted among Kāśī’s sanctifying waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, establishing a kuṇḍa for water-based rites such as snapana/abhiṣeka and tīrtha-snāna.