Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

वेतालकुंडे सुस्नातो वेतालं प्रणिपत्य च । लभेत वांछितां सिद्धिं दुर्लभां सर्वदेहिभिः

Transliteration

vetālakuṃḍe susnāto vetālaṃ praṇipatya ca | labheta vāṃchitāṃ siddhiṃ durlabhāṃ sarvadehibhiḥ

Translation

Having bathed well in the Vetāla‑kuṇḍa and bowed in reverence to the Vetāla, one attains the desired siddhi—an accomplishment rare for embodied beings to obtain.

Word by Word

• वेतालकुण्डे: in the Vetāla-pond
• वेतालकुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेताल (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वेतालस्य कुण्डे)

• सुस्नातः: having bathed well
• सुस्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + स्नात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; स्ना धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्ता)

• वेतालम्: the Vetāla
• वेतालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रणिपत्य: having bowed down
• प्रणिपत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + नि + पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• लभेत: may obtain
• लभेत: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वांछिताम्: desired
• वांछिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाञ्छित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; वाञ्छ् धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सिद्धिम्)

• सिद्धिम्: success/accomplishment
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दुर्लभाम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग) + लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सिद्धिम्)

• सर्वदेहिभिः: by all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिभिः: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वे देहिनः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vetāla-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim descends the steps into Vetāla-kuṇḍa, bathes, emerges with wet hair and folded hands, then prostrates before a fierce guardian icon under a small canopy.

Characters & Entities

• Vetāla-kuṇḍa
• Vetāla
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit in Kāśī arises from humility and right practice: tīrtha-bathing joined with reverence yields rare attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vetāla-kuṇḍa in Kāśī, together with reverence to its associated Vetāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (bathing) in Vetāla-kuṇḍa and then offer praṇāma (prostration) to the Vetāla to gain desired siddhi.