Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कलौ कुण्डेश्वरीनाम सर्वसौख्यप्रदायिनी । शंखो नाम पुरा देवि विष्णुना निहतः प्रिये

Transliteration

kalau kuṇḍeśvarīnāma sarvasaukhyapradāyinī | śaṃkho nāma purā devi viṣṇunā nihataḥ priye

Translation

କଳିଯୁଗରେ ସେ ‘କୁଣ୍ଡେଶ୍ୱରୀ’ ନାମେ ପ୍ରସିଦ୍ଧା, ସର୍ବସୁଖ ପ୍ରଦାୟିନୀ। ହେ ଦେବୀ, ହେ ପ୍ରିୟେ, ପୁରାକାଳେ ‘ଶଙ୍ଖ’ ନାମକ ଦୈତ୍ୟକୁ ବିଷ୍ଣୁ ବଧ କରିଥିଲେ।

Word by Word

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘कलियुगे’ इत्यर्थः

• कुण्ड-ईश्वरी: Lady of the pond (Kuṇḍeśvarī)
• कुण्ड-ईश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—कुण्डस्य ईश्वरी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming marker/नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (अव्यय-प्रयोगः)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नाम-निर्देशार्थक

• सर्व-सौख्य-प्रदायिनी: giver of all happiness
• सर्व-सौख्य-प्रदायिनी: Karta-bhava (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदायिनी (प्रातिपदिक; दा-धातु-निन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वं सौख्यं प्रददाति या (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठीभाव); विशेषणम् (कुण्डेश्वरी)

• शंखः: Śaṅkha (a being named Conch)
• शंखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming marker/नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (अव्यय-प्रयोगः)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नाम-निर्देशार्थक

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• निहतः: slain/killed
• निहतः: Karta-bhava (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (शंखः)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; प्रिय-सम्बोधनम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kuṇḍeśvarī / Śaṅkhodaka-kuṇḍa (implied)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as devi/priye)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Devī shrine by a luminous kuṇḍa in Prabhāsa; narration recalls Viṣṇu slaying the being Śaṅkha, establishing the mythic cause for the tīrtha’s name and Devī’s Kali-age epithet Kuṇḍeśvarī.

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍeśvarī
• Kali-yuga
• Śaṅkha (asura/being)
• Viṣṇu
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, the compassionate Goddess is emphasized as an accessible giver of well-being, while tīrtha-traditions are anchored in sacred myth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kuṇḍeśvarī (and, by narrative setup, the Śaṅkha-linked tīrtha tradition such as Śaṅkhodaka/Śaṅkhāvartā in Prabhāsa Kṣetra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite in this verse; it provides Kali-yuga naming and a mythic backstory involving Viṣṇu and Śaṅkha.