Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

दक्षशापप्रशप्तेन या चंद्रेण पुरा कृता । स्वस्नानार्थं क्षयव्याधिप्रग्रस्तेन महात्मना

Transliteration

dakṣaśāpapraśaptena yā caṃdreṇa purā kṛtā | svasnānārthaṃ kṣayavyādhipragrastena mahātmanā

Translation

“บ่อนั้นครั้งโบราณพระจันทร์ (จันทรา) ได้สร้างไว้—เมื่อถูกคำสาปของทักษะ; มหาตมะผู้นั้นครั้นถูกโรคซูบผอมครอบงำ จึงสร้างเพื่อการสรงสนานของตน”

Word by Word

• दक्ष: Dakṣa
• दक्ष: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• शाप: curse
• शाप: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (मध्यपद)

• प्रशप्तेन: cursed
• प्रशप्तेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-√शप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (चंद्रेण)

• यया: by whom/which
• यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• चंद्रेण: by the Moon (Candra)
• चंद्रेण: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चंद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• कृता: made, constructed
• कृता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (चंद्रकूपिका) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स्व: one's own
• स्व: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• स्नान: bathing
• स्नान: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (मध्यपद)

• अर्थम्: for the purpose
• अर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for the sake of)

• क्षय: consumption/decline
• क्षय: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• व्याधि: disease
• व्याधि: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकम्; समासाङ्ग (मध्यपद)

• प्रग्रस्तेन: severely afflicted
• प्रग्रस्तेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-√ग्रस् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (महात्मना/चंद्रेण)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा यस्य)

Speaker

Kṣetra-devatā (Deity of the sacred site)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candra-kūpikā

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (māhīpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Moon-god, pale and diminished by kṣaya, digs or manifests a well for bathing; Dakṣa’s stern curse looms in memory while the well shines with restorative lunar light.

Characters & Entities

• Candra
• Dakṣa
• Candra-kūpikā
• Kṣaya-vyādhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even celestial beings seek purification through tīrtha-snāna; sacred places are portrayed as remedies for profound afflictions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Candra-kūpikā, attributed to the Moon’s act of creating a bathing well while under Dakṣa’s curse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is snāna (bathing) in the well as a purificatory and healing act, modeled by Candra himself.