Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12
तत्राहं जलमध्यस्थः स्थास्यामि जलतत्परः । तच्छ्रुत्वा त्वरितं चक्रुर्गणाः कुण्डमनेकशः
tatrāhaṃ jalamadhyasthaḥ sthāsyāmi jalatatparaḥ | tacchrutvā tvaritaṃ cakrurgaṇāḥ kuṇḍamanekaśaḥ
“Di sana aku akan tetap berdiri di tengah-tengah air, dengan hati tertumpu kepada air.” Mendengar demikian, para gaṇa segera membina kuṇḍa dengan pelbagai cara, dengan usaha dan susunan yang rapi.
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.’