Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

चत्वारि चक्रतीर्थानि शेषाण्यष्टादशैव हि । विष्णुनाधिष्ठितान्येव प्राह पूर्वं मृकण्डजः

Transliteration

catvāri cakratīrthāni śeṣāṇyaṣṭādaśaiva hi | viṣṇunādhiṣṭhitānyeva prāha pūrvaṃ mṛkaṇḍajaḥ

Translation

ನಾಲ್ಕು ಚಕ್ರ-ತೀರ್ಥಗಳು; ಉಳಿದವು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಹದಿನೆಂಟು. ಇವೆಲ್ಲವೂ ವಿಷ್ಣುವಿನ ಅಧಿಷ್ಠಾನದಿಂದ ಯುಕ್ತ—ಎಂದು ಮೃಕಂಡಜ (ಮಾರ್ಕಂಡೇಯ) ಪೂರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿದರು.

Word by Word

• चत्वारि: four
• चत्वारि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• चक्रतीर्थानि: the Cakra-tīrthas
• चक्रतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; चक्र + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य/चक्रसम्बन्धीनि तीर्थाणि)

• शेषाणि: the remaining
• शेषाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; ‘अवशिष्टानि’

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• अष्टादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण (18)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: ‘for/indeed’)

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Kartr-karana (Agent/Instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अधिष्ठितानि: presided over/inhabited
• अधिष्ठितानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधि + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; ‘अधिष्ठित’ = presided over/occupied

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु; परोक्ष-रूप)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘उवाच’

• पूर्वम्: formerly/before
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: ‘formerly/before’)

• मृकण्डजः: Mṛkaṇḍaja (son of Mṛkaṇḍu)
• मृकण्डजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृकण्डज (प्रातिपदिक; मृकण्डु + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः/अपत्यार्थः (मृकण्डोः अपत्यम्)

Speaker

Sūta (reporting Mārkaṇḍeya’s prior statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakra-tīrtha-s (4) within the Vaiṣṇava set; remaining Vaiṣṇava tīrthas (18)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dwijas / audience of the discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage, citing Mārkaṇḍeya, distinguishes four Cakra-tīrthas and eighteen others, all under Viṣṇu’s presiding presence; imagery centers on Sudarśana hovering above sacred waters and shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Sudarśana Cakra
• Mārkaṇḍeya (Mṛkaṇḍaja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage sites are not merely geographic—they are ‘adhiṣṭhita’ (ensouled/presided over) by the deity, making devotion the core of tīrtha power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights the category of Cakra-tīrthas and Viṣṇu-presided tīrthas in general, without naming individual locations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the emphasis is on authoritative tradition (Mārkaṇḍeya’s prior enumeration).