Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यदा संस्थापितो ब्रह्मा मार्कंडेन महात्मना । तदा विनिर्मितं तत्र कुण्डं शुचिजलान्वितम्

Transliteration

yadā saṃsthāpito brahmā mārkaṃḍena mahātmanā | tadā vinirmitaṃ tatra kuṇḍaṃ śucijalānvitam

Translation

Lorsque le magnanime Mārkaṇḍa y établit Brahmā, il se forma alors en ce lieu un bassin sacré, empli d’eaux pures.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-सम्बन्ध (correlative: 'when')

• संस्थापितः: was established
• संस्थापितः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle of causative: 'was established'); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative sg)

• मार्कण्डेन: by Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental sg)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (sage)
• महात्मना: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'मार्कण्डेन')

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• विनिर्मितम्: was made/constructed
• विनिर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + निर् + मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: 'was constructed'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; 'कुण्डम्' इत्यस्य विधेय

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

• कुण्डम्: pond, basin
• कुण्डम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative sg)

• शुचिजलान्वितम्: endowed with pure water
• शुचिजलान्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय: 'pure-water-endowed'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'कुण्डम्')

Speaker

Sūta (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmakuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvipras

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya performs an establishment rite for Brahmā; at that very place a clear-water kund manifests, shimmering with purity, with ritual implements and serene forest/ghat surroundings.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Mārkaṇḍeya (Mārkaṇḍa)
• Brahmakuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places arise from acts of devotion and installation (saṃsthāpana), making geography itself a vessel of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmakuṇḍa, a pure-water sacred pond formed at the place of Brahmā’s installation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, saṃsthāpana (installing/establishing the deity) is the sanctifying act; bathing rites follow in subsequent verses.