Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मकुंडे सकृत्स्नानं वैकुंठप्राप्तिकारणम् । ब्रह्मकुंडसमुद्भूतं भस्म येन धृतं द्विजाः

Transliteration

brahmakuṃḍe sakṛtsnānaṃ vaikuṃṭhaprāptikāraṇam | brahmakuṃḍasamudbhūtaṃ bhasma yena dhṛtaṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

Ein einziges Bad in Brahma-kuṇḍa ist Ursache, Vaikuṇṭha zu erlangen. Und, o Dvijas, selig ist, wer die heilige Asche, die aus Brahma-kuṇḍa hervorgeht, an sich trägt.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मकुंडे: in Brahmakuṇḍa
• ब्रह्मकुंडे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मकुंड (प्रातिपदिक: ब्रह्म + कुंड)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular neuter

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/परिमाण-अव्यय (adverb)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative singular neuter

• वैकुंठ-प्राप्ति-कारणम्: cause of attaining Vaikuṇṭha
• वैकुंठ-प्राप्ति-कारणम्: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकुण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वैकुण्ठप्राप्तेः कारणम्) — predicate nominal

• ब्रह्मकुंड-समुद्भूतम्: arisen from Brahmakuṇḍa
• ब्रह्मकुंड-समुद्भूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मकुंड (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त; सम्+उद्+√भू)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — ‘arisen from Brahmakuṇḍa’ (qualifies भस्म)

• भस्म: sacred ash
• भस्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative singular neuter

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular ‘by which/with which’

• धृतम्: is worn/held
• धृतम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘worn/held’ (agrees with भस्म)

• द्विजाः: Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative plural masculine

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextually Sūta in Adhyāya 14)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ / brāhmaṇas (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim bathing in a luminous kuṇḍa; above, a vision of Vaikuṇṭha (Viṣṇu with Lakṣmī) appears in the sky; attendants offer a small vessel of pale ash; the pilgrim applies tripuṇḍra on forehead and arms.

Characters & Entities

• Brahma-kuṇḍa
• Vaikuṇṭha
• Bhasma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a single sincere act at a supremely holy tīrtha—snāna and reverent bearing of its sanctified substance—can lead to the highest transcendental goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahma-kuṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sakṛt-snāna (bathing even once) in Brahma-kuṇḍa, and dhāraṇa (wearing) of bhasma said to arise from Brahma-kuṇḍa.