Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

मृत्युकालेऽपि सम्प्राप्ते यदि ध्यायेद्धरिं नरः । चक्रांकं धारयेदंगे स याति परमं पदम्

Transliteration

mṛtyukāle'pi samprāpte yadi dhyāyeddhariṃ naraḥ | cakrāṃkaṃ dhārayedaṃge sa yāti paramaṃ padam

Translation

മരണസമയം എത്തിയാലും മനുഷ്യൻ ഹരിയെ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ശരീരത്തിൽ ചക്രാങ്കം ധരിച്ചാൽ, അവൻ പരമപദം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मृत्युकाले: at the time of death
• मृत्युकाले: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (मृत्योः कालः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Emphasis (सम्भावना/बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अप्यर्थ-अव्यय (particle: even)

• सम्प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• सम्प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → सम्प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (if)

• ध्यायेत्: should meditate
• ध्यायेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• हरिम्: Hari
• हरिम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्रांकम्: the discus-mark
• चक्रांकम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (चक्रस्य अङ्कः)

• धारयेत्: should bear/wear
• धारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• अङ्गे: on the body
• अङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Gati/Goal qualifier (गति-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying पदम्)

• पदम्: abode/state
• पदम्: Gati/Goal (Destination/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakrāṅka-dhāraṇa (body-mark) as salvific support

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dying devotee lies peacefully, eyes turned inward; a luminous cakra-mark on the body glows while Hari appears in vision, guiding the soul upward to parama-pada.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Cakrāṅka
• Parama Pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of Hari at life’s end, supported by Vaiṣṇava identity (cakrāṅka), is praised as a direct path to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within Dvārakā Māhātmya, extending Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava sanctity into the devotee’s embodied practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation on Hari (dhyāna/smaraṇa) and bearing the cakrāṅka (a Vaiṣṇava mark) on the body.