Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

मणिकुंडं तदग्रे तु विषव्याधिहरं परम् । तस्मिन्कुंडे कृतस्नानस्तं नागं परिवीक्ष्य च

Transliteration

maṇikuṃḍaṃ tadagre tu viṣavyādhiharaṃ param | tasminkuṃḍe kṛtasnānastaṃ nāgaṃ parivīkṣya ca

Translation

Vor ihm liegt der Maṇi-kuṇḍa, höchst wirksam zur Beseitigung von Leiden, die durch Gift entstehen. Nachdem man in diesem heiligen Becken gebadet und jenen Nāga geschaut hat—

Word by Word

• maṇikuṃḍam: the jewel-pond
• maṇikuṃḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘मणेः कुण्डम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• tadagre: in front of it
• tadagre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; ‘तस्य अग्रे’ इति स्थानवाचक-अव्ययम् (in front of it)

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle)

• viṣavyādhiharam: removing poison and disease
• viṣavyādhiharam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘विषस्य व्याधेः च हरम्’ इति समाहारार्थे तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (maṇikuṃḍaṃ)

• param: supreme / excellent
• param: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• kuṃḍe: in the pond
• kuṃḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• kṛtasnānaḥ: having bathed
• kṛtasnānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त-समासः; पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘कृतं स्नानं येन सः’ (स्नातः)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• nāgam: the Nāga (serpent)
• nāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• parivīkṣya: having looked around at / having examined
• parivīkṣya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-vīkṣ (धातु) → parivīkṣya (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund), ‘परि+वीक्ष्’ धातोः; पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇi-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kumbhaja (Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A jewel-like pond (Maṇi-kuṇḍa) gleams; pilgrims bathe while a radiant nāga with a gem on its hood watches; the atmosphere suggests healing from venom and fear.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇi-kuṇḍa
• Maṇipradīpa Nāga
• Poison ailments (viṣavyādhi)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are depicted as remedial and purifying—healing poison-born afflictions while directing the devotee toward reverent darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇi-kuṇḍa in Kāśī, located before the Nāga Maṇipradīpa, famed for removing poison-related diseases.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe (snāna) in Maṇi-kuṇḍa and then behold (darśana) the Nāga Maṇipradīpa.