Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

या गतिर्मातृभक्तानां यज्वनां या गतिः स्मृता । चक्रतीर्थे द्विजश्रेष्ठाः स्नात्वा तां लभते नरः

Transliteration

yā gatirmātṛbhaktānāṃ yajvanāṃ yā gatiḥ smṛtā | cakratīrthe dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ snātvā tāṃ labhate naraḥ

Translation

മാതൃഭക്തർക്കു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ഗതിയും യജ്ഞകർതാക്കൾക്കു പറയപ്പെടുന്ന ഗതിയും—ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ, ചക്രതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് മനുഷ്യൻ അതേ ഗതി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः/या (relative pronoun)

• गतिः: state/goal, destiny
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• मातृभक्तानाम्: of those devoted to (their) mother
• मातृभक्तानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मातुः भक्ताः)

• यज्वनाम्: of sacrificers (performers of yajña)
• यज्वनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्धः

• गतिः: goal/destiny
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• स्मृता: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘गतिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• चक्रतीर्थे: at Cakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; संबोधनार्थे

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावः (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• ताम्: that (destiny)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘गतिम्’ इत्यर्थे

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee descends the steps into Cakratīrtha at dawn, hands in añjali, with brāhmaṇas chanting; symbolic motifs of a mother’s blessing and a yajña fire appear as faint emblems, indicating equivalent spiritual attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Cakratīrtha
• Snāna (ritual bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā is celebrated as a dharmic accelerator, granting exalted destinies associated with exemplary virtues and sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha, where bathing is said to bestow highly praised spiritual attainments.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (sacred bathing) at Cakratīrtha to obtain the stated superior gati.