Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

महामुण्डा प्रतीच्यां तु चतुःसागरवापिका । तस्यां स्नातो भवेत्स्नातः सागरेषु चतुर्ष्वपि

Transliteration

mahāmuṇḍā pratīcyāṃ tu catuḥsāgaravāpikā | tasyāṃ snāto bhavetsnātaḥ sāgareṣu caturṣvapi

Translation

ทางทิศตะวันตกของมหามุณฑา มีสระชื่อจตุห์สาคร ผู้ใดอาบน้ำในสระนั้น ย่อมถือว่าได้อาบในมหาสมุทรทั้งสี่ด้วย

Word by Word

• महामुण्डा: Mahāmuṇḍā (name)
• महामुण्डा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुण्डा = महा + मुण्डा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; स्थाननाम

• प्रतीच्याम्: in the west
• प्रतीच्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतीची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; देशाधिकरणम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle)

• चतुःसागर-वापिका: the pond (vāpikā) of four oceans
• चतुःसागर-वापिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुः (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + वापिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; स्थानवाचकः

• तस्याम्: in it/there
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• भवेत्: would become/is considered
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• स्नातः: bathed (purified)
• स्नातः: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (PPP), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• सागरेषु: in the oceans
• सागरेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), बहुवचनम्

• चतुर्षु: in (all) four
• चतुर्षु: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्

• अपि: also
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle: also/even)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Catuḥsāgara-vāpikā

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene pond with four symbolic ocean motifs at its edges; pilgrims descend steps for ritual bathing while priests chant; the western direction is emphasized with a setting-sun glow behind Kāśī’s skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāmuṇḍā
• Catuḥsāgara-vāpikā
• Four oceans (symbolic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A Kāśī tīrtha can concentrate the merit of vast pilgrimages—here, one bath is equated with bathing in the four oceans.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Catuḥsāgara-vāpikā, the ‘Four-Oceans’ pond to the west of Mahāmuṇḍā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Catuḥsāgara pond.