Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

आग्नेयं नाम कुंडं च तत्पूर्वेग्निसलोकदम् । आग्नेयेश्वरतः प्राच्यां कुंडं तद्दक्षिणे शुभम्

Transliteration

āgneyaṃ nāma kuṃḍaṃ ca tatpūrvegnisalokadam | āgneyeśvarataḥ prācyāṃ kuṃḍaṃ taddakṣiṇe śubham

Translation

هناك غديرٌ يُدعى «آغْنِيَة» (Āgneya)، وإلى شرقه غديرٌ آخر يمنح بلوغ عالم أَغْنِي (Agni). وإلى الشرق من «آغْنِيَيْشْوَرَ» (Āgneyeśvara) كُنْدَةٌ (kuṇḍa)، وإلى جنوبها كُنْدَةٌ مباركةٌ حسنةُ الطالع.

Word by Word

• āgneyaṃ: Agneya (southeastern/pertaining to Agni)
• āgneyaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• nāma: named; namely
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (particle meaning ‘by name/namely’)

• kuṃḍam: pond; sacred pit
• kuṃḍam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• tatpūrva: in its east; to its east
• tatpūrva: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तस्य पूर्वे’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (locative singular; adjective)

• agnisalokadam: granting the world/realm of Agni
• agnisalokadam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + saloka (प्रातिपदिक) + da (√दा, धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘अग्निसलोकं ददाति’ इति; कृदन्त (द-प्रत्ययान्त/दातृ-अर्थे), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• āgneyeśvarataḥ: from Agneyeśvara
• āgneyeśvarataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘आग्नेय-ईश्वर’); तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from/starting from’)

• prācyām: in the east
• prācyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (feminine locative singular)

• kuṃḍam: pond; sacred pit
• kuṃḍam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• tat: of it; its
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (genitive singular; pronominal adjective)

• dakṣiṇe: on the south (side)
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (neuter locative singular)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āgneya-kuṇḍa (and adjacent Agni-loka-prada kuṇḍa) near Āgneyeśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-seeker interlocutor (traditional Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-priest points out a sequence of kuṇḍas around Āgneyeśvara: the Āgneya-kuṇḍa, an eastern kuṇḍa granting Agni-loka, and an auspicious southern kuṇḍa; the city’s lanes open into small stepped ponds with lamps and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Āgneya-kuṇḍa
• Āgneyeśvara
• Agni-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is expressed through a network of kuṇḍas and shrines, where even directional proximity carries distinct spiritual fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Āgneya-kuṇḍa and the kuṇḍa associated with attaining Agni-loka, in relation to Āgneyeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies tīrtha-sevana (visiting/using sacred ponds), though it does not specify snāna or offerings explicitly.