Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

यदृच्छयाचक्र तीर्थं गमिष्यति सुरांगनाः । आस्ते तत्र महायोगी गालवो विष्णुतत्परः

Transliteration

yadṛcchayācakra tīrthaṃ gamiṣyati surāṃganāḥ | āste tatra mahāyogī gālavo viṣṇutatparaḥ

Translation

Par hasard, ô jeunes filles célestes, il se rendra à Cakratīrtha. Là demeure le grand yogin Gālava, entièrement voué à Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• yadṛcchayā: by chance
• yadṛcchayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yadṛcchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘by chance/accidentally’ (instrumental of manner)

• acakra: made; performed
• acakra: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a- (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: धातु: kṛ (कृ) लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; रूपम्: अचक्र (परस्मैपद) ‘made/formed’

• tīrtham: pilgrimage-ford; sacred place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• gamiṣyati: will go
• gamiṣyati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• surāṅganāḥ: celestial maidens
• surāṅganāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surāṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: surāṇām aṅganāḥ ‘celestial women’

• āste: sits; stays
• āste: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ās (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• mahāyogī: the great yogi
• mahāyogī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: mahān yogī

• gālavaḥ: Gālava
• gālavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gālava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम

• viṣṇu-tatparaḥ: devoted to Viṣṇu
• viṣṇu-tatparaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + tatpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: viṣṇau tatparaḥ ‘devoted to Viṣṇu’

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: surāṅganāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coastal/riverine tīrtha named Cakratīrtha; apsarās gesture toward the path as the destined traveler approaches; Gālava sits in meditation with Viṣṇu iconography (cakra mark, tulasī, śaṅkha-cakra motifs).

Characters & Entities

• Cakratīrtha
• Gālava
• Viṣṇu
• Surāṅganāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine providence can lead one to a tīrtha where saints abide; association with a great yogin supports spiritual protection and transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha, presented as a sacred location where the Viṣṇu-devoted sage Gālava resides.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes pilgrimage movement toward a tīrtha and the presence of a realized sage.