Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

आग्नेयं नाम कुंडं च तत्पूर्वेग्निसलोकदम् । आग्नेयेश्वरतः प्राच्यां कुंडं तद्दक्षिणे शुभम्

Transliteration

āgneyaṃ nāma kuṃḍaṃ ca tatpūrvegnisalokadam | āgneyeśvarataḥ prācyāṃ kuṃḍaṃ taddakṣiṇe śubham

Translation

येथे ‘आग्नेय’ नावाचे कुंड आहे; त्याच्या पूर्वेस अग्निलोक देणारे दुसरे कुंड आहे. आग्नेयेश्वराच्या पूर्वेस एक कुंड असून त्याच्या दक्षिणेस एक परम शुभ कुंड आहे.

Word by Word

• āgneyaṃ: Agneya (southeastern/pertaining to Agni)
• āgneyaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• nāma: named; namely
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (particle meaning ‘by name/namely’)

• kuṃḍam: pond; sacred pit
• kuṃḍam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• tatpūrva: in its east; to its east
• tatpūrva: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तस्य पूर्वे’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (locative singular; adjective)

• agnisalokadam: granting the world/realm of Agni
• agnisalokadam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + saloka (प्रातिपदिक) + da (√दा, धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘अग्निसलोकं ददाति’ इति; कृदन्त (द-प्रत्ययान्त/दातृ-अर्थे), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• āgneyeśvarataḥ: from Agneyeśvara
• āgneyeśvarataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘आग्नेय-ईश्वर’); तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from/starting from’)

• prācyām: in the east
• prācyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (feminine locative singular)

• kuṃḍam: pond; sacred pit
• kuṃḍam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• tat: of it; its
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (genitive singular; pronominal adjective)

• dakṣiṇe: on the south (side)
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (neuter locative singular)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āgneya-kuṇḍa (and adjacent Agni-loka-prada kuṇḍa) near Āgneyeśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-seeker interlocutor (traditional Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-priest points out a sequence of kuṇḍas around Āgneyeśvara: the Āgneya-kuṇḍa, an eastern kuṇḍa granting Agni-loka, and an auspicious southern kuṇḍa; the city’s lanes open into small stepped ponds with lamps and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Āgneya-kuṇḍa
• Āgneyeśvara
• Agni-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is expressed through a network of kuṇḍas and shrines, where even directional proximity carries distinct spiritual fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Āgneya-kuṇḍa and the kuṇḍa associated with attaining Agni-loka, in relation to Āgneyeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies tīrtha-sevana (visiting/using sacred ponds), though it does not specify snāna or offerings explicitly.