Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गुहेन निर्मितः कूपो गंगा तत्र तलोद्भवा । माघस्य च चतुर्दश्यां कृष्णायां पितृतर्पणम्

Transliteration

guhena nirmitaḥ kūpo gaṃgā tatra talodbhavā | māghasya ca caturdaśyāṃ kṛṣṇāyāṃ pitṛtarpaṇam

Translation

ഗുഹൻ (സ്കന്ദൻ) അവിടെ ഒരു കിണർ നിർമ്മിച്ചു; അതിന്റെ അടിത്തട്ടിൽ നിന്ന് ഗംഗ ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു. കൂടാതെ മാഘമാസത്തിലെ കൃഷ്ണപക്ഷ ചതുര്ദശിയിൽ അവിടെ പിതൃതർപ്പണം ചെയ്യണം।

Word by Word

• गुहेन: by Guha (Skanda)
• गुहेन: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह (प्रातिपदिक; कुमार/स्कन्द-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निर्मितः: was made/constructed
• निर्मितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्मा (धातु; नि + √मा) (कृदन्त: निर्मित)
• Form: कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/भूतकर्मणि), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग

• कूपः: a well
• कूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• तल-उद्भवा: arising from the bottom (of the well)
• तल-उद्भवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तल-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; तल + उद्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गङ्गा-विशेषण)

• माघस्य: of (the month) Māgha
• माघस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक; मास-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक; तिथि-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृष्णायाम्: in the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa)
• कृष्णायाम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक; पक्ष-विशेष)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (चतुर्दशी-विशेषण)

• पितृतर्पणम्: offering of libations to the ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa)
• पितृतर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ + तर्पण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (context: act/rite)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guha-kūpa / Gaṅgā-talodbhava-kūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda strikes/marks the ground and a well is formed; from its depths Gaṅgā rises as a luminous stream; devotees prepare offerings for pitṛ-tarpaṇa under a Māgha night sky signifying kṛṣṇa caturdaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Guha (Skanda)
• Kūpa (well)
• Gaṅgā
• Māgha
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturdaśī
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when it includes gratitude to one’s ancestors; tīrthas sanctify both devotion to God and duty to Pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Guha-made well from which Gaṅgā manifests—presented as a powerful tīrtha within the Stambheśvara precinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pitṛ-tarpaṇa on Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī at this Gaṅgā-associated well/tīrtha.