Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

म्लेच्छदेशे शुभे वाऽपि चक्रांको यत्र तिष्ठति । योजनानि दश द्वे च मम क्षेत्रं च सुन्दरि

Transliteration

mlecchadeśe śubhe vā'pi cakrāṃko yatra tiṣṭhati | yojanāni daśa dve ca mama kṣetraṃ ca sundari

Translation

سواء كان ذلك في أرضٍ أجنبية أو في بقعةٍ مباركة—فحيثما ثبتت علامةُ الشَّكْرا، أيتها الحسناء، فحولها اثنتا عشرة يوجنة هي حقلي المقدّس.

Word by Word

• म्लेच्छ-देशे: in a mleccha country
• म्लेच्छ-देशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (देशे इति)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• चक्र-अंकः: the discus-mark (cakra emblem)
• चक्र-अंकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अंक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• तिष्ठति: stands, remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• योजनानि: yojanas (a measure of distance)
• योजनानि: Karma (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; नपुंसकलिङ्ग-बहुवचन-समन्वय (योजनानि इति)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक (योजनानि इति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred region, domain
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing a feminine interlocutor within the chapter—likely a goddess/queen figure in the narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakrāṅka-kṣetra (portable field)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cakra-emblem pillar or stone is स्थापित in a distant land; a luminous circular boundary expands across the landscape (twelve yojanas) while diverse people gather for worship, indicating sanctification beyond borders.

Characters & Entities

• Cakrāṅka (Cakra-mark)
• Kṣetra (sacred field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is not restricted by political borders; the Lord’s sign sanctifies space and creates a protective sacred field for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s theology of kṣetra expands outward: wherever the cakra-mark is स्थापित, that area is treated as the Lord’s kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence for the cakra-marked presence and recognition of its surrounding area as a kṣetra (a sanctified zone).