Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्या नैरृतदिग्भागे धनुःपञ्चदशे स्थितम् । शंखोदकंनाम कुण्डं सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

tasyā nairṛtadigbhāge dhanuḥpañcadaśe sthitam | śaṃkhodakaṃnāma kuṇḍaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ਉਸ ਦੇਵੀ ਦੇ ਨੈਰ੍ਰਿਤ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ-ਭਾਗ ਵਿੱਚ, ਪੰਦਰਾਂ ਧਨੁ ਦੂਰ, ‘ਸ਼ੰਖੋਦਕ’ ਨਾਮ ਦਾ ਕੁੰਡ ਹੈ, ਜੋ ਸਭ ਪਾਤਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਨਾਸ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• तस्याः: of her/of that (f.)
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• नैरृत-दिग्-भागे: in the south-western direction-part
• नैरृत-दिग्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृत (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + दिग् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—नैरृतायाः दिशः भागः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• धनुः-पञ्चदशे: at fifteen bow-lengths (distance)
• धनुः-पञ्चदशे: Adhikarana (Measure-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चदश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्चदश धनूंषि = 15 bow-lengths)

• स्थितम्: situated/located
• स्थितम्: Karta-bhava (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कुण्डम् इति)

• शंख-उदकम्: Conch-water (name)
• शंख-उदकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—शंखस्य उदकम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

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

• कुण्डम्: a pond/sacred pool
• कुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: Karta-bhava (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); विशेषणम् (कुण्डम् इति)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhodaka Kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small stone-lined pond shimmering like a conch’s interior; pilgrims descending steps; the water glows; a conch emblem carved on the ghat; distant Devī shrine visible in the southwest direction.

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍeśvarī Devī
• Śaṅkhodaka Kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas are mapped as living sources of purification; proximity to the Devī-site extends into purifying waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhodaka Kuṇḍa, a sacred pond near Kuṇḍeśvarī in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the kuṇḍa is presented as sin-destroying, indicating the merit of tīrtha-snān (ritual bathing), elaborated in the next verse.