Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मणिपूरकनामेदं चक्रं तद्धि विमुक्तिदम् । पंचाशच्च तथा वर्णा अंका नाम महेश्वरात्

Transliteration

maṇipūrakanāmedaṃ cakraṃ taddhi vimuktidam | paṃcāśacca tathā varṇā aṃkā nāma maheśvarāt

Translation

Dieses Cakra heißt Maṇipūraka und gewährt wahrlich Mokṣa, die Befreiung. Auch die fünfzig Buchstaben, bekannt als „Aṃkā“, sollen von Maheśvara ausgehen.

Word by Word

• मणिपूरकनाम: named ‘Maṇipūraka’
• मणिपूरकनाम: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मणिपूरक (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; ‘मणिपूरक-नाम’ इति नामविशेषणम् (having the name ‘Maṇipūraka’)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Viśeṣya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (demonstrative pronoun)

• चक्रम्: wheel; chakra
• चक्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (correlative pronoun)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधानार्थ/हेतौ (indeed/for)

• विमुक्तिदम्: granting liberation
• विमुक्तिदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + द (कृदन्त; √दा दाने)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘विमुक्तिं ददाति’ इति (giver of liberation)

• पञ्चाशत्: fifty
• पञ्चाशत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशत् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र ‘वर्णाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (fifty)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘also/likewise’

• वर्णाः: letters; syllables
• वर्णाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• अङ्काः: numbers; digits
• अङ्काः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• नाम: namely
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositive marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशे (as/namely)

• महेश्वरात्: from Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी एकवचनम् (ablative: from Mahēśvara)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇipūraka (inner tīrtha)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing yet controlled lotus-wheel at the navel labeled ‘Maṇipūraka’; around it orbit the fifty Sanskrit letters as golden glyphs emerging from Maheśvara’s radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇipūraka-cakra
• Vimukti
• Fifty letters (varṇāḥ)
• Maheśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to inner spiritual centers and sacred sound: the cakra and the varṇas (letters) are treated as Śiva-derived powers guiding one toward vimukti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it contributes to the chapter’s broader māhātmya teaching through Śaiva cosmology and mantra doctrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual act is prescribed; the verse highlights doctrinal foundations (cakra and varṇa) often associated with japa and mantra-sādhana.