Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

राशिं कर्कटकं प्राप्य कुरुते दक्षिणायांनम् । कुलालचक्रपर्यंतो यथा शीघ्रं निवर्तते

Transliteration

rāśiṃ karkaṭakaṃ prāpya kurute dakṣiṇāyāṃnam | kulālacakraparyaṃto yathā śīghraṃ nivartate

Translation

കർക്കടകരാശിയെ പ്രാപിച്ച ശേഷം ആ സൂര്യൻ ദക്ഷിണായനം ആരംഭിക്കുന്നു. കുശവന്റെ ചക്രത്തിന്റെ വക്കു വേഗത്തിൽ തിരിഞ്ഞു മടങ്ങുന്നതുപോലെ, അവനും അതിവേഗം തിരിച്ചുമാറുന്നു.

Word by Word

• rāśim: the zodiac sign
• rāśim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• karkaṭakam: Cancer (Karkaṭaka sign)
• karkaṭakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karkaṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; राशिनाम

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), ‘having reached’

• kurute: does/makes
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• dakṣiṇa-ayanam: the southern course (dakṣiṇāyana)
• dakṣiṇa-ayanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa + ayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘दक्षिणम् अयनम्’

• kulāla-cakra-paryantaḥ: like the rim/limit of a potter’s wheel
• kulāla-cakra-paryantaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kulāla + cakra + paryanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘कुलालचक्रस्य पर्यन्तः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; विशेषण (अन्तर्निहितः ‘गति/परिवर्तन’ इत्यर्थे)

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थ (as/just as)

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• nivartate: turns back/returns
• nivartate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dakṣiṇāyana-praveśa kāla (time-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya reaching Karkaṭaka sector and beginning descent; a potter’s wheel shown in parallel, its rim turning swiftly, visually echoing the solar reversal; seasonal shift hinted by clouds/monsoon edge.

Characters & Entities

• Karkaṭaka (Cancer)
• Dakṣiṇāyana
• Kulālacakra (potter’s wheel)
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cosmos moves with purposeful turns; the Sun’s ‘return’ teaches that change is intrinsic to time and should be met with steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is an astronomical marker for the southern course.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; dakṣiṇāyana often frames seasonal rites in wider dharma literature.