Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

क्रीडंति चक्रतीर्थे वै तीर्थैश्च शतकोटिभिः । पश्यंति च मुहुः कृष्णं पश्चिमाभिमुखं सदा

Transliteration

krīḍaṃti cakratīrthe vai tīrthaiśca śatakoṭibhiḥ | paśyaṃti ca muhuḥ kṛṣṇaṃ paścimābhimukhaṃ sadā

Translation

ਚਕ੍ਰਤੀਰਥ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਹ ਨਿਸ਼ਚੇ ਹੀ ਦਿਵ੍ਯ ਆਨੰਦ ਨਾਲ ਕ੍ਰੀੜਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਸ਼ਤਕੋਟਿ ਤੀਰਥਾਂ ਸਮੇਤ; ਅਤੇ ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਸਦਾ ਪੱਛਮ-ਅਭਿਮੁਖ ਸ਼੍ਰੀਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ।

Word by Word

• क्रीडन्ति: they sport/play
• क्रीडन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• चक्रतीर्थे: at Cakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य तीर्थम्)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तीर्थैः: with sacred fords
• तीर्थैः: Sahakari/Karana (Instrument/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक निपात (conjunction)

• शतकोटिभिः: with a hundred crores (of [tīrthas])
• शतकोटिभिः: Karana (Instrument/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (शतं कोटयः = a hundred crores)

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक निपात (conjunction)

• मुहुः: again and again, repeatedly
• मुहुः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of frequency)

• कृष्णम्: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पश्चिमाभिमुखम्: facing west
• पश्चिमाभिमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम + अभिमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पश्चिमं अभिमुखः = west-facing)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: always)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the assembled sages (deduced from Purāṇic narrative style in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the sea-edge Cakratīrtha, countless tīrthas personified gather like radiant beings; devotees and sages witness Kṛṣṇa repeatedly, standing or appearing with a westward gaze, the ocean behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Cakratīrtha
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are living presences: the tīrtha is portrayed as a space of divine encounter where devotees repeatedly ‘see’ the Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha, a sacred ford associated with Dvārakā and Kṛṣṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on sacred presence, pilgrimage merit, and darśana (beholding Kṛṣṇa).