Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यदा संस्थापितो ब्रह्मा मार्कंडेन महात्मना । तदा विनिर्मितं तत्र कुण्डं शुचिजलान्वितम्

Transliteration

yadā saṃsthāpito brahmā mārkaṃḍena mahātmanā | tadā vinirmitaṃ tatra kuṇḍaṃ śucijalānvitam

Translation

جب عظیم النفس مارکنڈے نے وہاں برہما جی کو قائم کیا، اسی وقت اسی مقام پر پاکیزہ پانیوں سے بھرا ہوا ایک مقدس کنڈ وجود میں آیا۔

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-सम्बन्ध (correlative: 'when')

• संस्थापितः: was established
• संस्थापितः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle of causative: 'was established'); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative sg)

• मार्कण्डेन: by Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental sg)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (sage)
• महात्मना: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'मार्कण्डेन')

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• विनिर्मितम्: was made/constructed
• विनिर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + निर् + मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: 'was constructed'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; 'कुण्डम्' इत्यस्य विधेय

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• कुण्डम्: pond, basin
• कुण्डम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative sg)

• शुचिजलान्वितम्: endowed with pure water
• शुचिजलान्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय: 'pure-water-endowed'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'कुण्डम्')

Speaker

Sūta (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmakuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvipras

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya performs an establishment rite for Brahmā; at that very place a clear-water kund manifests, shimmering with purity, with ritual implements and serene forest/ghat surroundings.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Mārkaṇḍeya (Mārkaṇḍa)
• Brahmakuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places arise from acts of devotion and installation (saṃsthāpana), making geography itself a vessel of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmakuṇḍa, a pure-water sacred pond formed at the place of Brahmā’s installation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, saṃsthāpana (installing/establishing the deity) is the sanctifying act; bathing rites follow in subsequent verses.