Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। देव्युवाच । चक्रतीर्थेति किं नाम त्वया प्रोक्तं वृषध्वज । कुत्र तिष्ठति तत्तीर्थं किं प्रभावं वदस्व मे

Transliteration

| devyuvāca | cakratīrtheti kiṃ nāma tvayā proktaṃ vṛṣadhvaja | kutra tiṣṭhati tattīrthaṃ kiṃ prabhāvaṃ vadasva me

Translation

ദേവി പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ വൃഷധ്വജാ! നിങ്ങൾ ‘ചക്രതീർത്ഥം’ എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു; അതിന്റെ നാമം എന്ത്? ആ തീർത്ഥം എവിടെയാണ്, അതിന്റെ പ്രഭാവം എന്ത്? എനിക്ക് പറയുക.

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चक्रतीर्थेति: ‘Cakratīrtha’—thus
• चक्रतीर्थेति: Sambandha (Quotative/apposition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चक्रतीर्थ + इति (प्रातिपदिक + अव्यय)
• Form: इति-समास/उक्त्यर्थक प्रयोग: ‘cakratīrtha’ इति (thus called ‘Cakratīrtha’)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (here: ‘what’)

• नाम: indeed/then
• नाम: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-समर्थक/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘indeed/then’)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate, passive sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘spoken/said’

• वृषध्वज: O Bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषध्वज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: बहुव्रीहि (यस्य ध्वजः वृषः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कुत्र: where
• कुत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Interrogative location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• तिष्ठति: stands/is situated
• तिष्ठति: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संकेतवाचक (demonstrative)

• तीर्थम्: sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• प्रभावम्: power/effect
• प्रभावम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वदस्व: tell (me)
• वदस्व: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakra-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Vṛṣadhvaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī respectfully questions Vṛṣadhvaja (Śiva) about Cakra-tīrtha—an intimate teaching moment set near a sacred landscape, with the tīrtha hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Vṛṣadhvaja (Śiva)
• Cakratīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching proceeds through inquiry: sacred geography is learned by respectful questioning about a tīrtha’s name, location, and spiritual efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha in Prabhāsakṣetra (introduced by inquiry).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse initiates the explanation of the tīrtha’s greatness.