Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । आदौ कृतयुगे कृष्ण उमया यत्कृतं पुरा । ऋषीणां श्रमनाशार्थं तप्तोदं तत्र निर्मितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | ādau kṛtayuge kṛṣṇa umayā yatkṛtaṃ purā | ṛṣīṇāṃ śramanāśārthaṃ taptodaṃ tatra nirmitam

Translation

Īśvara said: “O Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning, in the Kṛta Yuga, what Umā once fashioned: there a hot-water spring was created to dispel the weariness of the ṛṣis.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• आदौ: in the beginning
• आदौ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम्; कालवाचक-अव्यय (at first)

• कृतयुगे: in the Kṛta Yuga
• कृतयुगे: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रयोगः (कृतं युगम्)

• कृष्ण: O Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्ण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उमया: by Umā
• उमया: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• कृतम्: made/done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु; कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘made/done’

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• श्रमनाशार्थम्: for the purpose of removing fatigue
• श्रमनाशार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रम + नाश + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्रमस्य नाशः तस्य अर्थः) प्रयोजनवाचक

• तप्तोदं: hot water
• तप्तोदं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पाठे ‘तप्तोदं’ = ‘तप्तोदकम्’ (अन्त्य-अकार-लोप/पाठभेद)

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

• निर्मितम्: was created
• निर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्मित (कृदन्त; नि+√मा/√मि or नि+√मि ‘to build/make’)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘was constructed/created’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taptodakuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kṛṣṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛta-yuga tableau: Umā fashions a steaming spring beside a forest hermitage; weary ṛṣis rest as warm vapors rise from a stone-lined kund.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Kṛṣṇa (addressed)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are presented as compassionate divine provisions—meant to sustain spiritual practice by removing hardship and fatigue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Taptodakuṇḍa (Taptoda/Taptodaka), a hot-water tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: using the hot-water tīrtha for relief and purification; the text frames it as supporting ṛṣi-sādhanā and pilgrim welfare.