Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

कूपः शुभोद नामापि स्नातव्यं तत्र निश्चितम् । तत्र मुंडमयी माला मया क्षिप्तातिशोभना

Transliteration

kūpaḥ śubhoda nāmāpi snātavyaṃ tatra niścitam | tatra muṃḍamayī mālā mayā kṣiptātiśobhanā

Translation

There is also a well named Śubhodā; bathing there is enjoined as a certainty. There I cast an exceedingly beautiful garland made of skulls.

Word by Word

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

• शुभोद: Śubhoda (name)
• शुभोद: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभोद (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नामरूपेण

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नाम’ इति नामवाचक

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• स्नातव्यम्: should be bathed (in)
• स्नातव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: भाव्य/अनिवार्य (gerundive) - तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थ: ‘स्नानं कर्तव्यम्’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक अव्यय

• निश्चितम्: is निश्चित/settled
• निश्चितम्: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त; √निश्चि/√चि with नि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक अव्यय

• मुण्डमयी: made of skulls/heads
• मुण्डमयी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुण्ड + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मयट्-प्रत्ययान्त (made of/consisting of)

• माला: a garland
• माला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• क्षिप्ता: thrown/placed
• क्षिप्ता: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिप्त (कृदन्त; √क्षिप् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• अतिशोभना: very beautiful
• अतिशोभना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अतिशयेन शोभना)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śubhodā Kūpa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stone-lined well named Śubhodā; a solemn devotee/ascetic figure casts a radiant skull-garland into/near the well; the scene balances purity (water) with mortality symbolism (skulls), under a banyan or near a small shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śubhodā Kūpa
• Muṇḍa-mayī Mālā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even specific micro-sites in Kāśī—wells and ponds—are sanctified and ritually potent within the Purāṇic sacred map.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śubhodā Kūpa (the well named Śubhodā) in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in the Śubhodā well is explicitly prescribed.