Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

क्षीरकुंडं च तत्कुत्र कीदृशं तस्य वैभवम् । क्षीरकुण्डमिति ख्यातिः कथं वास्य समागता

Transliteration

kṣīrakuṃḍaṃ ca tatkutra kīdṛśaṃ tasya vaibhavam | kṣīrakuṇḍamiti khyātiḥ kathaṃ vāsya samāgatā

Translation

Et où se trouve ce Kṣīrakuṇḍa ? Quelle est la nature de sa splendeur ? Et comment a-t-il acquis la renommée du nom de « Kṣīrakuṇḍa » ?

Word by Word

• kṣīrakuṃḍam: the Milk-pond
• kṣīrakuṃḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra + kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tat: that
• tat: Anaphora (Referent/तद्-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• kutra: where
• kutra: Adhikarana (Place-query/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutra (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• kīdṛśam: of what kind
• kīdṛśam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīdṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasya: of it
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaibhavam: power, grandeur
• vaibhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaibhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• kṣīrakuṇḍam: (as) 'Kṣīrakuṇḍa'
• kṣīrakuṇḍam: Vishaya (Topic/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra + kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vacana-marker (Quotation/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• khyātiḥ: fame, appellation
• khyātiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khyāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• katham: how
• katham: Prakara (Manner-query/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of manner)

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive/optional particle)

• asya: of this (place)
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• samāgatā: has arisen/come about
• samāgatā: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (Past participle; 'having come/obtained'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sages of Naimiṣāraṇya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrakuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Munis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of sages gesturing as they ask: ‘Where is Kṣīrakuṇḍa? What is its grandeur? How did it get its name?’ A faint vision of a milky pond appears as a narrative foreshadowing.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣīrakuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography values both location and meaning—knowing a tīrtha’s origin story deepens reverence and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṣīrakuṇḍa, whose location, greatness, and name-origin are requested.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse seeks descriptive and etymological context that typically precedes ritual guidance.