Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । यो वै निरुदके ग्रामे कूपं कारयते बुधः । यावत्तोयं भवेत्कूपे तावत्स्वर्गे स मोदते

Transliteration

devyuvāca | yo vai nirudake grāme kūpaṃ kārayate budhaḥ | yāvattoyaṃ bhavetkūpe tāvatsvarge sa modate

Translation

พระเทวีตรัสว่า ‘ผู้มีปัญญาผู้ให้ขุดสร้างบ่อน้ำในหมู่บ้านอันกันดารน้ำ ยามใดน้ำยังคงอยู่ในบ่อนั้น ยามนั้นเขาย่อมรื่นรมย์ในสวรรค์’

Word by Word

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (उक्तिवाचक-प्रयोगे कर्तृ)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक-निपात (particle: indeed)

• निरुदके: waterless
• निरुदके: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरुदक (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + उदक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘ग्रामे’ इति विशेषण (waterless)

• ग्रामे: in a village
• ग्रामे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कूपम्: a well
• कूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कारयते: causes (a well) to be made
• कारयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) (णिच् causative: कारय)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: causes to be made)

• बुधः: a wise man
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: परिमाण/काल-सीमाबोधक (correlative: as long as)

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: may be / is present
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कूपे: in the well
• कूपे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: तावदर्थक (correlative: so long/that long)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मोदते: rejoices
• मोदते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Devī (Umā/Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūpa-dāna (well as merit-bearing locus)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Saptarṣi-s

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī speaks as a teacher: a parched village, people carrying empty pots; a newly built well with clear water; villagers rejoice while Devī’s presence sanctifies the act.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Selfless public welfare—especially providing water—becomes enduring merit proportional to the benefit it continues to give.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it teaches a general purāṇic dharma of water-charity applicable to sacred and ordinary places alike.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constructing (or sponsoring) a well in a water-scarce settlement as an act of charity (udaka-sevā/udaka-dāna).