Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12
तत्राहं जलमध्यस्थः स्थास्यामि जलतत्परः । तच्छ्रुत्वा त्वरितं चक्रुर्गणाः कुण्डमनेकशः
tatrāhaṃ jalamadhyasthaḥ sthāsyāmi jalatatparaḥ | tacchrutvā tvaritaṃ cakrurgaṇāḥ kuṇḍamanekaśaḥ
“അവിടെ ഞാൻ ജലത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ട്, ജലത്തിൽ തന്നെ നിഷ്ഠനായിരിക്കും.” എന്നു കേട്ട് ഗണങ്ങൾ വേഗത്തിൽ പലവിധമായി കുണ്ഡം നിർമ്മിച്ചു.
Pulastya (narrating Śiva’s statement and the gaṇas’ action)
Tirtha: Arbuda-kuṇḍa (Gaṅgā-saṅga enabling)
Type: kund
Listener: King (nṛpasattama)
Scene: A freshly formed kuṇḍa gleams; Śiva stands or sits in its center, serene and water-devoted, while gaṇas around the banks finish stone-lining, steps, and embankments—multiple design elements suggesting ‘anekashaḥ’ (many arrangements).
FAQs
Divine vows manifest as accessible sacred institutions—here, a water tīrtha—so that devotees may approach holiness through tangible means like sacred bathing.
The kuṇḍa created at Arbuda for Śiva (Acaleśvara) to abide in connection with the Gaṅgā-saṃgama theme.
Implied snāna and water-based observance at the kuṇḍa, grounded in Śiva’s stated intention to remain ‘in the midst of water.’