Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

पंचचूडाह्रदे स्नात्वा ज्येष्ठस्थानं ततोर्चयेत् । चतुःसमुद्रकूपे तु स्नात्वा देवं समर्चयेत्

Transliteration

paṃcacūḍāhrade snātvā jyeṣṭhasthānaṃ tatorcayet | catuḥsamudrakūpe tu snātvā devaṃ samarcayet

Translation

പഞ്ചചൂഡാ ഹ്രദത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് പിന്നെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠസ്ഥാനത്തെ ആരാധിക്കണം. ചതുഃസമുദ്ര കൂപത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് വിധിപൂർവ്വം ദേവനെ അർച്ചിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• पंचचूडाह्रदे: in the Pañcacūḍā lake
• पंचचूडाह्रदे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चचूडा + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पञ्चचूडायाः ह्रदः)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having bathed’

• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: the Jyeṣṭhasthāna (chief shrine/place)
• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (ज्येष्ठं स्थानम्)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चतुःसमुद्रकूपे: in the Catuḥsamudra well
• चतुःसमुद्रकूपे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुः + समुद्र + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (चतुःसमुद्राणां कूपः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• समर्चयेत्: should worship duly
• समर्चयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcacūḍā-hrada; Catuḥsamudra-kūpa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn bathes in a lotus-edged lake, then proceeds with folded hands to a shrine named Jyeṣṭhasthāna; next he draws water from an ancient well called ‘Four-Oceans’ and offers it in worship to the Deva.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcacūḍā Hrada
• Jyeṣṭhasthāna
• Catuḥsamudra Kūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred geography is traversed through disciplined sequence: snāna purifies, and arcana seals devotion through worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcacūḍā hrada, Jyeṣṭhasthāna, and the Catuḥsamudra kūpa within the Kāśī-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Pañcacūḍā hrada and worship Jyeṣṭhasthāna; bathe at Catuḥsamudra well and worship the deity.