Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तद्दक्षिणे मुनिश्रेष्ठ रुक्मिणीकुण्डमुत्तमम् । चकार यत्स्वयं देवी रुक्मिणी कृष्णवल्लभा

Transliteration

taddakṣiṇe muniśreṣṭha rukmiṇīkuṇḍamuttamam | cakāra yatsvayaṃ devī rukmiṇī kṛṣṇavallabhā

Translation

ആ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുവശത്ത്, ഹേ മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഉത്തമമായ രുക്മിണീകുണ്ഡം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു; അതിനെ സ്വയം ദേവി രുക്മിണി—ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണപ്രിയ—നിർമ്മിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘तस्य’ अर्थे; (दक्षिणे इत्यस्य विशेषणम्—‘of that (place)’ )

• दक्षिणे: on the southern side
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘दक्षिणे (भागे)’

• मुनिश्रेष्ठ: O best of sages
• मुनिश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—मुनिः एव श्रेष्ठः इति कर्मधारयः

• रुक्मिणीकुण्डम्: the Rukmiṇī pond
• रुक्मिणीकुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुक्मिणी-कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—रुक्मिण्याः कुण्डम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रुक्मिणीकुण्डम्)

• चकार: made/created
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं यत्—‘which’ (कुण्डम् इत्यस्य अन्वयः)

• स्वयम्: herself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Agent-emphasis/कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वतन्त्रकर्तृवाचक-अव्यय (emphatic adverb)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• रुक्मिणी: Rukmiṇī
• रुक्मिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुक्मिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; देवी इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन्

• कृष्णवल्लभा: beloved of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णवल्लभा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण-वल्लभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कृष्णस्य वल्लभा इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (रुक्मिणी)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa dialogic style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rukmiṇīkuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muniśreṣṭha (addressed sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene lotus-filled pond to the south of a sacred precinct; Rukmiṇī, adorned as a royal-devī, is shown ‘fashioning’ or consecrating the kuṇḍa, with subtle emblems of Kṛṣṇa (peacock-feather, flute motif) indicating her beloved.

Characters & Entities

• Rukmiṇī
• Kṛṣṇa
• Rukmiṇī-kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places gain authority through divine association; the presence and acts of devotees and deities sanctify geography into tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rukmiṇī-kuṇḍa, an excellent sacred pond in the Ayodhyā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse introduces the tīrtha; subsequent verses prescribe bathing, charity, homa, and worship there.