Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

हेमकुण्डं कृते प्रोक्तं त्रेतायां रौप्यनामकम् । द्वापरे चक्रकुंडं तु रत्नकुंडं कलौ स्मृतम्

Transliteration

hemakuṇḍaṃ kṛte proktaṃ tretāyāṃ raupyanāmakam | dvāpare cakrakuṃḍaṃ tu ratnakuṃḍaṃ kalau smṛtam

Translation

ในกฤตยุค สระนี้เรียกว่า “เหมากุณฑะ”; ในเตรตายุคเป็นที่รู้จักว่า “เราเปียะ” ในทวาปรยุคเรียกว่า “จักรกุณฑะ” และในกลียุคระลึกกันว่า “รัตนกุณฑะ”

Word by Word

• हेमकुण्डम्: the golden pond (Hemakuṇḍa)
• हेमकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (हेमस्य कुण्डम्)

• कृते: in the Kṛta (Satya) yuga
• कृते: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (singular); युगवाचक (in the Kṛta age)

• प्रोक्तम्: is said/called
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicative verbal notion/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (said/called)

• त्रेतायाम्: in the Tretā yuga
• त्रेतायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (singular)

• रौप्यनामकम्: named ‘Raupya’ (silver-named)
• रौप्यनामकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौप्य (प्रातिपदिक) + नामक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (singular); समासः—कर्मधारयः (रौप्यं नाम यस्य/रौप्य-नामकः)

• द्वापरे: in the Dvāpara yuga
• द्वापरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine) (युगवाचक), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (singular)

• चक्रकुण्डम्: Cakra-kuṇḍa (wheel-pond)
• चक्रकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य कुण्डम्)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधान/विरोधसूचक-निपात (but/indeed)

• रत्नकुण्डम्: Ratna-kuṇḍa (jewel-pond)
• रत्नकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (रत्नस्य कुण्डम्)

• कलौ: in the Kali yuga
• कलौ: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine) (युगवाचक), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (singular)

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/known (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriyā (Predicative verbal notion/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (remembered/known as)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratnakuṇḍa (Hemakuṇḍa/Raupya/Cakrakuṇḍa in earlier yugas)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as bhāminī/devēśī/mahādevī across the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred pond shown in four temporal registers: golden radiance (Kṛta), silver sheen (Tretā), a Viṣṇu-cakra emblem shimmering on the waters (Dvāpara), and jewel-like multicolored reflections (Kali), with sages indicating the names in sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛta Yuga
• Tretā Yuga
• Dvāpara Yuga
• Kali Yuga
• Hemakuṇḍa
• Raupya
• Cakrakuṇḍa
• Ratnakuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha is timeless; names change with yugas, but the holy power remains continuous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ratnakuṇḍa (with its earlier yuga-names Hemakuṇḍa, Raupya, and Cakrakuṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides sacred-historical identification of the tīrtha across the four yugas.