Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

तथा खण्डशिलानाम देवता चात्र तिष्ठति । सौभाग्यकूपिकास्नानं कृत्वा तां च प्रपश्यतु

Transliteration

tathā khaṇḍaśilānāma devatā cātra tiṣṭhati | saubhāgyakūpikāsnānaṃ kṛtvā tāṃ ca prapaśyatu

Translation

അതുപോലെ ഇവിടെ ‘ഖണ്ഡശിലാ’ എന്ന ദേവതയും വസിക്കുന്നു. സൗഭാഗ്യ-കൂപികയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ആ ദേവതയുടെ ദർശനവും ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: “thus/so”)

• खण्डशिलानाम: of the fragment-stones
• खण्डशिलानाम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खण्डशिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; ‘खण्डा च सा शिला’ इति कर्मधारय-समासः; “of the broken stones”

• देवता: the deity
• देवता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction “and”)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place “here”)

• तिष्ठति: stands; resides
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सौभाग्यकूपिकास्नानम्: the bath at Saubhāgya-kūpikā
• सौभाग्यकूपिकास्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभाग्य + कूपिका + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘सौभाग्यकूपिकायाः स्नानम्’ (bath in/at Saubhāgya-kūpikā)

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); “having done”

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• प्रपश्यतु: let him behold; let him see
• प्रपश्यतु: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पश्य्/दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (विधिलिङ्गार्थे आज्ञा/अनुज्ञा)

Speaker

Kṣetra-devatā (Deity of the sacred site)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saubhāgya-kūpikā

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a stone-lined well labeled Saubhāgya-kūpikā, performs ritual bathing, then walks to a sacred stone-form (Khaṇḍaśilā) where a subtle deity-presence is indicated by aura, lamps, and flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Khaṇḍa-śilā (devatā)
• Saubhāgya-kūpikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is both purification (snāna) and sanctifying encounter (darśana), integrating body, place, and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Saubhāgya-kūpikā and the nearby deity Khaṇḍa-śilā within the same kṣetra described in Adhyāya 133.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

First perform snāna in Saubhāgya-kūpikā, then proceed for darśana (prapaśyatu) of the deity Khaṇḍa-śilā.