Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

म्लेच्छदेशे शुभे वाऽपि चक्रांको यत्र तिष्ठति । योजनानि दश द्वे च मम क्षेत्रं च सुन्दरि

Transliteration

mlecchadeśe śubhe vā'pi cakrāṃko yatra tiṣṭhati | yojanāni daśa dve ca mama kṣetraṃ ca sundari

Translation

म्लेच्छदेशात असो वा पुण्यप्रदेशात—जिथे चक्रांक उभा आहे, हे सुंदरी, त्याच्या भोवती बारा योजनांपर्यंत माझे पवित्र क्षेत्र आहे.

Word by Word

• म्लेच्छ-देशे: in a mleccha country
• म्लेच्छ-देशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (देशे इति)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• चक्र-अंकः: the discus-mark (cakra emblem)
• चक्र-अंकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अंक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• तिष्ठति: stands, remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• योजनानि: yojanas (a measure of distance)
• योजनानि: Karma (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; नपुंसकलिङ्ग-बहुवचन-समन्वय (योजनानि इति)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक (योजनानि इति)

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

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred region, domain
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing a feminine interlocutor within the chapter—likely a goddess/queen figure in the narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakrāṅka-kṣetra (portable field)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cakra-emblem pillar or stone is स्थापित in a distant land; a luminous circular boundary expands across the landscape (twelve yojanas) while diverse people gather for worship, indicating sanctification beyond borders.

Characters & Entities

• Cakrāṅka (Cakra-mark)
• Kṣetra (sacred field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is not restricted by political borders; the Lord’s sign sanctifies space and creates a protective sacred field for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s theology of kṣetra expands outward: wherever the cakra-mark is स्थापित, that area is treated as the Lord’s kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence for the cakra-marked presence and recognition of its surrounding area as a kṣetra (a sanctified zone).