Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 187

Devanagari script

कूपश्चापि सरः पुण्यं महाकालस्य सिद्धिदम् । अत्र ये मनुजाः पार्थ लिंगस्याराधने रताः

Transliteration

kūpaścāpi saraḥ puṇyaṃ mahākālasya siddhidam | atra ye manujāḥ pārtha liṃgasyārādhane ratāḥ

Translation

هنا بئرٌ وكذلك بحيرةٌ مقدّسة—طاهرةٌ مانحةٌ للإنجازات (السِّدّهي) المتعلّقة بمهاكالا. يا بارثا، إنّ الناس الذين يقيمون هنا، المواظبين على عبادة اللِّينغا—

Word by Word

• कूपः: a well
• कूपः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थे (also/even)

• सरः: a lake/pond
• सरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• महाकालस्य: of Mahākāla
• महाकालस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सिद्धिदम्: granting success
• सिद्धिदम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धि + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—सिद्धिं ददाति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्राय)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• मनुजाः: people, men
• मनुजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• आराधने: in worship
• आराधने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आराधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रताः: devoted, engaged
• रताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त) कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘रक्त/रत’ = engaged, devoted

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-associated Kūpa and Puṇya-saras

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (addressed as Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred precinct: Mahākāla’s Liṅga-temple in the background; a stone-lined well and a serene lake in the foreground; pilgrims performing simple worship with flowers and water, absorbed in devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Pārtha (listener-epithet)
• Liṅga
• Kūpa (well)
• Saraḥ (sacred pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography supports spiritual practice—holy waters and steady liṅga-worship together lead to siddhi.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s tīrtha-region, with special mention of a holy well and pond connected to Mahākāla worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgasyārādhana (worship of the liṅga) is highlighted; the mention of kūpa/saraḥ implies tīrtha-snān and ritual purity practices.