Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सार्धकोटिस्तु संप्रोक्ता शिवकुण्डे प्रकीर्तिता । पश्चिमे ब्रह्मकुण्डं च पूर्वे वै वैष्णवं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

sārdhakoṭistu saṃproktā śivakuṇḍe prakīrtitā | paścime brahmakuṇḍaṃ ca pūrve vai vaiṣṇavaṃ smṛtam

Translation

శివకుండంలో ‘సార్ధకోటి’ (కోటి నర) తీర్థాలు అని ప్రకటించబడింది. బ్రహ్మకుండం పశ్చిమంలో, వైష్ణవకుండం తూర్పులో అని స్మరించబడుతుంది।

Word by Word

• सार्धकोटिः: a crore and a half (one and a half crores)
• सार्धकोटिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार्ध (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• संप्रोक्ता: is declared
• संप्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is declared)

• शिवकुण्डे: in Śiva-kuṇḍa
• शिवकुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकीर्तिता: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तिता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is proclaimed)

• पश्चिमे: in the west
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) प्रयोगः; सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); दिक्शब्द (direction-term)

• ब्रह्मकुण्डम्: Brahma-kuṇḍa
• ब्रह्मकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• पूर्वे: in the east
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) प्रयोगः; सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); दिक्शब्द (direction-term)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis)

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava (kuṇḍa)
• वैष्णवम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्मृतम्: is called/known
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is known as)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller) addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-kuṇḍa; Brahmā-kuṇḍa; Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred landscape: three ponds aligned—Brahmā-kuṇḍa on the west, Śiva-kuṇḍa prominent, Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa on the east; directional markers (sunrise on east) and pilgrims moving in a guided circuit.

Characters & Entities

• Śivakuṇḍa
• Brahmakuṇḍa
• Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya links spiritual merit with precise sacred topography, guiding pilgrims in embodied practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śiva-kuṇḍa along with the directional placement of Brahmakuṇḍa (west) and Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa (east) at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse provides tīrtha-mapping and relative greatness.