Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

तथा बहुतिथं कालं द्वीपोभूत्सोपि मंदरः । यियासुना च देवेन मंदरं चित्रकंदरम्

Transliteration

tathā bahutithaṃ kālaṃ dvīpobhūtsopi maṃdaraḥ | yiyāsunā ca devena maṃdaraṃ citrakaṃdaram

Translation

So wurde auch jener Mandara für sehr lange Zeit gleichsam zu einer Insel. Und der Deva, der aufzubrechen wünschte, begab sich zum Mandara mit seinen wundersamen Grotten.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: ‘thus/in that manner’)

• बहुतिथम्: for many days (lit. many-date)
• बहुतिथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-तिथ (प्रातिपदिक; बहु + तिथ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘बहुतिथ’ इति तत्पुरुषसमासः (बह्व्यः तिथयः यस्मिन्/यावत्) — used adverbially with ‘कालम्’

• कालम्: time, period
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• द्वीपः: an island
• द्वीपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सः: he/that (one)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• मन्दरः: Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• यियासुना: by (one) wishing to go
• यियासुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (धातु) + यियासु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; desiderative participle)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘यियासु’ = देसिदेरटिव (सन्नन्त) भावे कृदन्तः ‘to wish to go’ — instrumental: ‘by/with one wishing to go’

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

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• मन्दरम्: Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• चित्रकन्दरम्: having wondrous caves
• चित्रकन्दरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र-कन्दर (प्रातिपदिक; चित्र + कन्दर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (चित्रा कन्दरा यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast mountain with painted, ‘wondrous’ caverns; the Deva poised to depart, looking toward Mandara as if it were an island amid cosmic waters.

Characters & Entities

• Mandara
• Deva(s)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy landscapes can be portrayed as wondrous and set apart from ordinary space, inviting reverence and pilgrimage-mindedness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mandara, described as dvīpa-like and possessing marvelous caverns.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears; the verse continues the māhātmya-style description of the sacred locale.