Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सार्धकोटिस्तु संप्रोक्ता शिवकुण्डे प्रकीर्तिता । पश्चिमे ब्रह्मकुण्डं च पूर्वे वै वैष्णवं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

sārdhakoṭistu saṃproktā śivakuṇḍe prakīrtitā | paścime brahmakuṇḍaṃ ca pūrve vai vaiṣṇavaṃ smṛtam

Translation

شیو کُنڈ میں ڈیڑھ کروڑ تیرتھوں کا بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ مغرب میں برہما کُنڈ اور مشرق میں ویشنو کُنڈ یاد کیا جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• सार्धकोटिः: a crore and a half (one and a half crores)
• सार्धकोटिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार्ध (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• संप्रोक्ता: is declared
• संप्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is declared)

• शिवकुण्डे: in Śiva-kuṇḍa
• शिवकुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकीर्तिता: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तिता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is proclaimed)

• पश्चिमे: in the west
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) प्रयोगः; सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); दिक्शब्द (direction-term)

• ब्रह्मकुण्डम्: Brahma-kuṇḍa
• ब्रह्मकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• पूर्वे: in the east
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) प्रयोगः; सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); दिक्शब्द (direction-term)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis)

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava (kuṇḍa)
• वैष्णवम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्मृतम्: is called/known
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे (is known as)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller) addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-kuṇḍa; Brahmā-kuṇḍa; Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred landscape: three ponds aligned—Brahmā-kuṇḍa on the west, Śiva-kuṇḍa prominent, Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa on the east; directional markers (sunrise on east) and pilgrims moving in a guided circuit.

Characters & Entities

• Śivakuṇḍa
• Brahmakuṇḍa
• Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya links spiritual merit with precise sacred topography, guiding pilgrims in embodied practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śiva-kuṇḍa along with the directional placement of Brahmakuṇḍa (west) and Vaiṣṇava-kuṇḍa (east) at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse provides tīrtha-mapping and relative greatness.