Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

देवदक्षिणदिग्भागे चतुःस्रोतस्विनी जलम् । तृषार्तौ धयतो विप्र स्नातौ जातु चिदंडजौ

Transliteration

devadakṣiṇadigbhāge catuḥsrotasvinī jalam | tṛṣārtau dhayato vipra snātau jātu cidaṃḍajau

Translation

ദേവാലയത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുഭാഗത്ത് ‘ചതുഃസ്രോതസ്വിനീ’ എന്ന ജലം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; ദാഹാർത്തരായി, ഹേ വിപ്ര, ആ രണ്ടു പക്ഷികൾ അത് കുടിക്കുകയും ചിലപ്പോൾ അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്തു।

Word by Word

• देवदक्षिणदिग्भागे: in the southern quarter of the deity (temple area)
• देवदक्षिणदिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—देवस्य दक्षिणा दिक् तस्याः भागे (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला)

• चतुःस्रोतस्विनी: having four streams/channels
• चतुःस्रोतस्विनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुः (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + स्रोतस् (प्रातिपदिक) + विनी/विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—चत्वारि स्रोतांसि यस्याः (बहुव्रीहि-सदृशार्थे तत्पुरुष-रचना)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तृषार्तौ: afflicted by thirst (two)
• तृषार्तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृषा (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; समासः—तृषया आर्तौ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

• धयतः: drinking
• धयतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा/धय् (धातु; पिबति-अर्थे)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘drinking’

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

• स्नातौ: having bathed
• स्नातौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘bathed’

• जातु: indeed/at some time
• जातु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb) ‘ever/at any time/indeed’

• चित्: some/any
• चित्: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चितार्थक-निपात (indefinite particle)

• अण्डजौ: egg-born ones (birds)
• अण्डजौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अण्डज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Catuḥsrotasvinī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vipra (addressed ‘vipra’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: South of the shrine, a small sacred watercourse or pool with four visible channels; two birds bend to drink and occasionally splash-bathe, with the temple looming nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Catuḥsrotasvinī (water/tīrtha)
• Trilocana (Śiva, implied)
• pigeons/birds (aṇḍaja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred waters near a Śiva-sthāna purify and sustain—linking bodily need with spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Catuḥsrotasvinī water-site/tīrtha located in the southern sector of the deity’s (Trilocana’s) shrine area.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) and pāna (drinking) in the tīrtha-water, implying its sanctifying value.