Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तप्तकुण्डे नरः स्नात्वा तलस्वामिनमर्चयेत् । हृत्वा पिंडप्रदानं तु कोटियात्राफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

taptakuṇḍe naraḥ snātvā talasvāminamarcayet | hṛtvā piṃḍapradānaṃ tu koṭiyātrāphalaṃ labhet

Translation

തപ്തകുണ്ഡത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് മനുഷ്യൻ തലസ്വാമിയെ ആരാധിക്കണം; പിണ്ഡപ്രദാനം ചെയ്താൽ കോടി തീർത്ഥയാത്രകളുടെ തുല്യമായ പുണ്യഫലം ലഭിക്കും।

Word by Word

• तप्तकुण्डे: in the hot spring/pool
• तप्तकुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त-कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; तप्त + कुण्ड)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having bathed’

• तलस्वामिनम्: Talasvāmin (deity)
• तलस्वामिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल-स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक; तल + स्वामिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

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

• हृत्वा: having taken (and offered)
• हृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having taken/bringing’

• पिण्डप्रदानम्: offering of piṇḍa (funeral oblation)
• पिण्डप्रदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + प्रदान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; ‘पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

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

• कोटियात्राफलम्: the merit of a crore of pilgrimages
• कोटियात्राफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि-यात्रा-फल (प्रातिपदिक; कोटि + यात्रा + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कोटियात्रायाः फलम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taptakuṇḍa (with Talasvāmi)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience of the māhātmya (pilgrims/reciters)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe in a steaming sacred pond (Taptakuṇḍa), then proceed to a Śiva-liṅga shrine of Talasvāmi with lamps and flowers; nearby, a devotee offers piṇḍas on darbha by the water’s edge while priests chant.

Characters & Entities

• Taptakuṇḍa
• Talasvāmi
• Piṇḍa-pradāna
• Pitṛs (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when joined with purification (snāna), devotion (arcana), and duty to ancestors (piṇḍa-pradāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Taptakuṇḍa/Taptodaka tīrtha and the deity Talasvāmi in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe in Taptakuṇḍa, worship Talasvāmi, and perform piṇḍa-pradāna (ancestral offering).