Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे नृपश्रेष्ठ कुण्डं ज्वालासमुद्भवम् । यत्र सा पतिता ज्वाला शिवस्य दहतः पुरम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe nṛpaśreṣṭha kuṇḍaṃ jvālāsamudbhavam | yatra sā patitā jvālā śivasya dahataḥ puram

Translation

ณ ตีรถะนั้น ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ มีสระกุณฑะบังเกิดจากเปลวเพลิง; ณ ที่นั้นเอง เปลวไฟอันลุกโชนได้ตกลงมาเมื่อพระศิวะทรงเผาเมืองอสูร

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; देशवाचक (locative sense)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative singular

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative singular; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) = ‘नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः’

• कुण्डम्: a pit/pool
• कुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular

• ज्वालासमुद्भवम्: arisen from a flame
• ज्वालासमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वाला + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with ‘कुण्डम्’; तत्पुरुषः (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष) = ‘ज्वालायाः समुद्भवः’ (arisen from flame)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/यद्-प्रत्यय) = relative adverb; स्थानवाचक

• सा: she/that (f.)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; pronoun nominative singular

• पतिता: fallen
• पतिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; agrees with ‘सा’

• ज्वाला: flame
• ज्वाला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्वाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; nominative singular

• शिवस्य: of Śiva
• शिवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; genitive singular

• दहतः: (of Śiva) who was burning
• दहतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दह् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘शिवस्य’ विशेषणम्

• पुरम्: the city
• पुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; accusative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (to a king, nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jvālāsamudbhava-kuṇḍa (within Dhūmāvarta-tīrtha)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing tongue of fire descends from Śiva’s cosmic act of burning the demonic city; where it touches earth, a radiant pond forms, steaming with sacred heat beside the flowing Narmadā.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kuṇḍa (sacred pool)
• Jvālā (flame)
• Pura (demonic city)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even destructive divine power (Śiva’s fire) becomes sanctifying when it grounds a tīrtha that grants purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A flame-born kuṇḍa at the Dhūmāvarta/Kālāgnirudra tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied foundation for snāna (bathing) at the kuṇḍa; explicit prescriptions appear in subsequent verses.