Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

चक्रपुष्करिणीतीर्थं तदादौ विष्णुना कृतम् । तदाख्या कर्णनादेव सर्वैः पापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

cakrapuṣkariṇītīrthaṃ tadādau viṣṇunā kṛtam | tadākhyā karṇanādeva sarvaiḥ pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

ചക്രപുഷ്കരിണീ എന്ന തീർത്ഥം പുരാതനകാലത്ത് വിഷ്ണുവാൽ നിർമ്മിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. അതിന്റെ നാമം കേൾക്കുന്നതുമാത്രത്തിൽ സർവ്വപാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു മോചനം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• चक्रपुष्करिणीतीर्थम्: the Cakra-puṣkariṇī tīrtha
• चक्रपुष्करिणीतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + पुष्करिणी + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य पुष्करिणी-तीर्थम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha/Anaphoric
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ सर्वनाम

• आदौ: at the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in the beginning/at first’

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• कृतम्: made/created
• कृतम्: Predicate complement (to Karta/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; विधेय-विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha/Anaphoric
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• आख्या: (its) name
• आख्या: Predicate nominative (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘name/appellation’

• कर्णनादात्: from the sound in the ear
• कर्णनादात्: Apadana (Source/Reason/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण + नाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कर्णस्य नादः); ‘from the ear-sound’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Adjectival to Karana/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (पापैः)

• पापैः: from sins (as the thing one is freed from)
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument in passive construction/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense): ‘is released’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakrapuṣkariṇī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘vīra’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred pond/kuṇḍa shimmering with a subtle discus (cakra) motif on the water surface; Viṣṇu is shown as the ancient founder, sanctifying the place; devotees listen as a reciter speaks the tīrtha’s name, and dark ‘sins’ dissolve into light.

Characters & Entities

• Cakrapuṣkariṇī-tīrtha
• Viṣṇu
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is so potent that even nāma-śravaṇa (hearing a holy name) is credited with deep purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakrapuṣkariṇī-tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-śravaṇa—hearing the tīrtha’s name—is said to free one from sins; the verse also notes its divine origin from Viṣṇu.