Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र पादोदकं तीर्थं यत्र देवेन शार्ङ्गिणा । आदौ पादौ क्षलितौ तु मंदराच्चागतेन यत्

Transliteration

tatra pādodakaṃ tīrthaṃ yatra devena śārṅgiṇā | ādau pādau kṣalitau tu maṃdarāccāgatena yat

Translation

അവിടെ ‘പാദോദകം’ എന്ന തീർത്ഥമുണ്ട്; മന്ദരപർവ്വതത്തിൽ നിന്നുവന്ന ജലത്താൽ ശാർങ്ഗിണൻ (വിഷ്ണു) ആദ്യം തന്റെ പാദങ്ങൾ കഴുകിയ സ്ഥലം അതാണ്।

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Adverbial location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• pādodakam: foot-water (water from the feet)
• pādodakam: Karta (Predicate nominative/प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पादस्य उदकम् = water of the feet)

• tīrtham: a holy ford/place
• tīrtham: Karta (Predicate nominative/प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Relative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक (where)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• śārṅgiṇā: by Śārṅgin (Viṣṇu)
• śārṅgiṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विष्णोः नाम (bearer of Śārṅga bow)

• ādau: in the beginning
• ādau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; अर्थः—प्रारम्भे (in the beginning)

• pādau: (two) feet
• pādau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), द्विवचन

• kṣalitau: were washed
• kṣalitau: Karta (Predicate/प्रथमा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣal (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; अर्थः—प्रक्षालितौ (washed)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• maṃdarāt: from (Mount) Mandara
• maṃdarāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃdara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• āgatena: by (one) who had come
• āgatena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘आगत’ = come/arrived

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative pronoun/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pādodaka

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic tableau: Viṣṇu (Śārṅgin) washes his feet; the water flows from Mandāra and becomes the Pādodaka tīrtha, shimmering as it joins the sacred river landscape of Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Pādodaka tīrtha
• Viṣṇu (Śārṅgin)
• Mandāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas are anchored in divine acts; sacred water becomes a vehicle of grace because it is linked to the Lord’s presence and deeds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pādodaka tīrtha in Kāśī, associated with Viṣṇu (Śārṅgin).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, reverence for and use of the tīrtha-water (pādodaka); later verses specify rites performed there.