Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

बहुव्यायामसंयुक्तं चक्रतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । ययौ विच्छिन्नतां मध्ये कथं कथय सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

bahuvyāyāmasaṃyuktaṃ cakratīrthamanuttamam | yayau vicchinnatāṃ madhye kathaṃ kathaya sāṃpratam

Translation

മഹാ പരിശ്രമസംബന്ധമായ ആ അനുത്തമ ചക്രതീർത്ഥം നടുവിൽ എങ്ങനെ വിച്ഛിന്നമായി? അത് ഇപ്പോൾ ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് പറയുക।

Word by Word

• बहु: much, many
• बहु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् पूर्वपद (as prior member), ‘many/much’ अर्थे

• व्यायाम: with exertion/exercise
• व्यायाम: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यायाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद (Instrumental sense as prior member)

• संयुक्तम्: joined/connected
• संयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-युज् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्र: of the discus/wheel
• चक्र: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद (Genitive sense as prior member)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford (Cakratīrtha)
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• विच्छिन्नताम्: discontinuity, break
• विच्छिन्नताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-छिद् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → विच्छिन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (भावप्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• कथय: tell (you)
• कथय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिजन्त from कथ्/कथ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सांप्रतम्: now, at present
• सांप्रतम्: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages point toward a sacred spot named Cakratīrtha, asking why its course/continuity was severed; Sūta prepares to answer, indicating a shift from itinerary to mythic causation.

Characters & Entities

• Cakratīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places carry layered histories; inquiry into their ‘how’ and ‘why’ is treated as a dharmic pursuit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha is explicitly named as an unsurpassed tīrtha within the Setukhaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a request for the tīrtha’s backstory.