Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

तदुत्तरे चक्रह्रदो महापुण्यविवर्धनः । स्नात्वा चक्रह्रदे मर्त्यश्चक्रेशं परिपूज्य च

Transliteration

taduttare cakrahrado mahāpuṇyavivardhanaḥ | snātvā cakrahrade martyaścakreśaṃ paripūjya ca

Translation

അതിന്റെ വടക്കായി ചക്രഹ്രദം ഉണ്ട്; അത് മഹാപുണ്യം വർധിപ്പിക്കുന്നു। മർത്ത്യൻ ചക്രഹ്രദത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ചക്രേശനെ വിധിപൂർവം പൂജിച്ചാൽ (ഇഷ്ടഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു)।

Word by Word

• तत्: there
• तत्: Adhikarana (Reference/स्थान-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् (adverbial element in तदुत्तरे)

• उत्तरे: to the north/further on
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• चक्रह्रदः: Cakra-lake
• चक्रह्रदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य ह्रदः / चक्र-नामकः ह्रदः)

• महापुण्यविवर्धनः: increasing great merit
• महापुण्यविवर्धनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महापुण्यम्) + तत्पुरुषः (महापुण्यस्य विवर्धनः)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund: 'having bathed')

• चक्रह्रदे: in the Cakra-lake
• चक्रह्रदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (चक्र+ह्रद)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal/person
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• चक्रेशम्: Cakreśa
• चक्रेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य ईशः)

• परिपूज्य: having worshipped
• परिपूज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि√पूज् (धातु) + ल्यप् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (gerund: 'having worshipped')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakra-hrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clear sacred lake with steps; pilgrims descend for ritual bathing. Nearby stands Cakreśa’s shrine. After snāna, the devotee, wet hair tied back, offers bilva leaves and a small lamp, while the lake glints like a wheel (cakra) under sunlight.

Characters & Entities

• Cakra-hrada
• Cakreśa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is amplified through tīrtha-snān and Śiva-pūjā performed in the ordained sacred geography of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakra-hrada (the sacred pond) together with the nearby deity Cakreśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in Cakra-hrada and paripūjā (full worship) of Cakreśa.