Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

वेतालकुंडं तत्रास्ति सर्वव्याधिविघातकृत् । तत्कुंडोदकसंस्पर्शाद्व्रणविस्फोटरुग्व्रजेत्

Transliteration

vetālakuṃḍaṃ tatrāsti sarvavyādhivighātakṛt | tatkuṃḍodakasaṃsparśādvraṇavisphoṭarugvrajet

Translation

ಅಲ್ಲಿ ವೇತಾಳ-ಕುಂಡವಿದೆ; ಅದು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ರೋಗವ್ಯಾಧಿಗಳನ್ನು ನಾಶಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಕುಂಡದ ನೀರನ್ನು ಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿಸಿದ ಮಾತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಗಾಯ-ಪುಟ್ಟೆಗಳ ನೋವು ದೂರವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ॥

Word by Word

• वेतालकुण्डम्: the Vetāla-pond
• वेतालकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेताल (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वेतालस्य कुण्डम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वव्याधिविघातकृत्: destroyer of all diseases
• सर्वव्याधिविघातकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + विघात (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातोः क्विप्/कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; विशेषणम् (वेतालकुण्डम्)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कुण्डस्य)

• कुण्ड: pond
• कुण्ड: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• उदक: water
• उदक: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• संस्पर्शात्: from/by contact
• संस्पर्शात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• व्रण: wound
• व्रण: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• विस्फोट: eruption/blistering
• विस्फोट: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्फोट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• रुक्: pain
• रुक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुज्/रुक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• व्रजेत्: would go away/cease
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vetāla-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small sacred pool shaded by trees and shrine walls; pilgrims touch the water to wounds; attendants offer lamps; the kuṇḍa is marked as ‘Vetāla-kuṇḍa’ with protective iconography nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Vetāla-kuṇḍa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-waters in Kāśī are portrayed as grace-bearing: physical relief symbolizes the deeper removal of afflictions through sacred contact.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vetāla-kuṇḍa, a sacred pool in Kāśī described as a remover of diseases.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Contact with (and implicitly bathing/using) the water of Vetāla-kuṇḍa for alleviation of ailments such as wounds and eruptions.