Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । अथोत्तरस्यामाशायां कुंडमर्काख्यमुत्तमम् । तत्र नाम्नोत्तरार्केण रश्मिमाली व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | athottarasyāmāśāyāṃ kuṃḍamarkākhyamuttamam | tatra nāmnottarārkeṇa raśmimālī vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

สกันทร์ตรัสว่า: ต่อไป ณ ทิศเหนือมีสระอันประเสริฐชื่อว่า ‘อรกะ’; ณ ที่นั้น พระสุริยะผู้มีพวงมาลัยแห่งรัศมี สถิตอยู่ในนาม ‘อุตตรารกะ’

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunctive/adverb) — ‘then/now’

• उत्तरस्याम्: in the northern
• उत्तरस्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular; दिशि/आशायाम् इति विशेषण

• आशायाम्: direction, quarter
• आशायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• कुण्डम्: a pond, basin
• कुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• अर्क-आख्यम्: named ‘Arka’
• अर्क-आख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; ‘अर्क’ इति नाम यस्य (नामधेय-विशेषण)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locus/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Singular; ‘by name’

• उत्तर-अर्केण: by (one called) Uttarārka
• उत्तर-अर्केण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• रश्मि-माली: the sun (garlanded with rays)
• रश्मि-माली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रश्मि (प्रातिपदिक) + मालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यवस्थितः: is stationed, stands established
• व्यवस्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle used predicatively: ‘is stationed/stands’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arka-kuṇḍa (Uttarārka)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A disciplined interlocutor addressed as ‘suvrata’ (likely a sage/ṛṣi in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda points out the northern quarter of Kāśī where a radiant pond named Arka lies; Sūrya is envisioned as a figure crowned with rays, seated above the waters as ‘Uttarārka’.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Uttarārka
• Sūrya (Raśmimālī)
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s landscape is mapped as divine presence; even directions hold sanctified sites where deities abide.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arka-kuṇḍa / Uttarārka-kuṇḍa in the northern sector of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None yet; the verse introduces the site and its presiding solar presence.