Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

मुनिभिः सर्वतीर्थानां क्षिप्तं कुम्भोदकं भुवि । एकस्थं लिङ्गनामाथ कलाकुम्भस्तथाभवत्

Transliteration

munibhiḥ sarvatīrthānāṃ kṣiptaṃ kumbhodakaṃ bhuvi | ekasthaṃ liṅganāmātha kalākumbhastathābhavat

Translation

മുനിമാർ സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു സമാഹരിച്ച കുംഭജലം ഭൂമിയിൽ ഒഴിച്ചു. ആ ഒരിടത്ത് ‘കലാകുംഭ’ എന്ന നാമമുള്ള ലിംഗം പ്രാദുർഭവിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• munibhiḥ: by the sages
• munibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• sarva-tīrthānām: of all sacred places
• sarva-tīrthānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः = 'सर्वाणि तीर्थानि' (all sacred places)

• kṣiptam: was poured
• kṣiptam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'thrown/poured'

• kumbha-udakam: pot-water
• kumbha-udakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbha (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextually कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी) = 'कुम्भस्य उदकम्' (water of the pot)

• bhuvi: on the ground
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• eka-stham: situated in one place
• eka-stham: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः = 'एकस्मिन् स्थाने स्थितम्' (situated in one place); विशेषणम् (लिङ्गस्य)

• liṅga-nāma: the name (as) Liṅga
• liṅga-nāma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः = 'लिङ्गस्य नाम' (name of the liṅga)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तरार्थक/then) = discourse particle

• kalā-kumbhaḥ: Kalā-kumbha (the pot of kalā)
• kalā-kumbhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक) + kumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः = 'कलायाः कुम्भः' (pot of kalā/portion)

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) = adverb 'thus/so'

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'became/was' (imperfect)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kalākumbha (liṅga) / Kalākumbha-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages pour kumbhas filled with water collected from many tīrthas onto the earth at one spot; from that sanctified ground a liṅga emerges, marked as ‘Kalākumbha’.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)
• Sarvatīrtha (all tīrthas)
• Kalākumbha-liṅga
• Revā Khaṇḍa sacred region (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography teaches ‘condensed holiness’: the merit of many tīrthas can be ritually gathered and anchored in one consecrated liṅga-site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kalākumbha-liṅga site—formed where sages poured jar-waters collected from all tīrthas (within the Revā Khaṇḍa landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Collecting tīrtha-waters in kumbhas and pouring/consecrating them at a chosen spot is described as the act leading to the Kalākumbha-liṅga’s manifestation.