Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

उपासांचक्रिरे मुक्त्यै मधुरापुरवासिनः । कदाचित्तत्र गंधर्वो विश्वावसुसुतो बली

Transliteration

upāsāṃcakrire muktyai madhurāpuravāsinaḥ | kadācittatra gaṃdharvo viśvāvasusuto balī

Translation

Les habitants de la cité de Madhurā accomplissaient le culte en quête de la délivrance. Un jour, y vint un gandharva puissant, fils de Viśvāvasu.

Word by Word

• उपासाम्: worship
• उपासाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपासा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चक्रिरे: performed
• चक्रिरे: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• मुक्त्यै: for liberation
• मुक्त्यै: Sampradāna (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• मधुरा-पुर-वासिनः: residents of the city of Mathurā
• मधुरा-पुर-वासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुरा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुर (प्रातिपदिक) + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (मधुरापुरे वासिनः)

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa/Adhikaraṇa (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• गन्धर्वः: a Gandharva
• गन्धर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विश्वावसु-सुतः: son of Viśvāvasu
• विश्वावसु-सुतः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वावसु (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विश्वावसोः सुतः)

• बली: strong, mighty
• बली: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Madhurā/Hālāsya kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bustling sacred city with temple spires; townspeople offering flowers and water to a Śiva shrine; a radiant gandharva descends from the sky, drawing attention while remaining slightly apart.

Characters & Entities

• Madhurā
• Gandharva
• Viśvāvasu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Communal worship oriented to liberation is honored, and Purāṇic narratives often introduce celestial beings to reveal moral and spiritual contrasts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Madhurā is referenced as a devotional city; the broader passage continues toward Hālāsya/Hālāsya-nātha and related sacred locales.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upāsanā (devotional worship) undertaken with the aim of mukti.