Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

कुण्डे स्नानं नरः कृत्वा तां च देवीं प्रपूजयेत् । बलिबाकुलनैवेद्यैर्गन्धधूपादिपूजनैः

Transliteration

kuṇḍe snānaṃ naraḥ kṛtvā tāṃ ca devīṃ prapūjayet | balibākulanaivedyairgandhadhūpādipūjanaiḥ

Translation

കുണ്ഡത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് മനുഷ്യൻ ആ ദേവിയെ ഭക്തിയോടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം പൂജിക്കണം. ബലി, ബകുലപുഷ്പങ്ങൾ, നൈവേദ്യം അർപ്പിച്ച് ഗന്ധം, ധൂപം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് ആരാധിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• कुण्डे: in the pond/pit (kuṇḍa)
• कुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Locative singular

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done’

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun, Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• प्रपूजयेत्: should worship
• प्रपूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• बलि-बाकुल-नैवेद्यैः: with offerings, bakula-flowers, and food-offerings
• बलि-बाकुल-नैवेद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक) + बाकुल (प्रातिपदिक) + नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (means)

• गन्ध-धूप-आदि-पूजनैः: with worship using perfume, incense, etc.
• गन्ध-धूप-आदि-पूजनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devī-kuṇḍa (as implied by ‘kuṇḍe snānam’ in this section)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a stone-lined sacred pond completes bathing, then approaches a small Devī shrine with lamp, incense, bakula blossoms, bali offering, and naivedya arranged on leaf-plates.

Characters & Entities

• Dvāravāsinī Devī
• Kuṇḍa (sacred pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification through tīrtha-snāna should mature into reverent worship through offerings and disciplined ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The kuṇḍa (sacred pond) and the nearby shrine of the Goddess (Dvāravāsinī/Aparadvārakā) in this kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in the kuṇḍa followed by Devī-pūjā with bali, bakula, naivedya, and gandha-dhūpa offerings.