Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । चक्रतीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा शिवतीर्थं ततो व्रजेत् । यत्र हि स्नानमात्रेण महापातककोटयः

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | cakratīrthe naraḥ snātvā śivatīrthaṃ tato vrajet | yatra hi snānamātreṇa mahāpātakakoṭayaḥ

Translation

ศรีสูตะกล่าวว่า: เมื่อมนุษย์อาบน้ำชำระที่จักรตีรถะแล้ว พึงไปยังศิวตีรถะต่อไป; ณ ที่นั้น เพียงอาบน้ำเท่านั้น บาปมหันต์นับโกฏิก็ถูกทำลายสิ้น

Word by Word

• श्रीसूतः: the venerable Sūta
• श्रीसूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् सूतः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालक्रिया; धातुः—स्ना

• शिवतीर्थम्: to Śiva-tīrtha
• शिवतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य तीर्थम्)

• ततः: then / from there
• ततः: Sequence/Source nuance (क्रम/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: then/from there)

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb of place)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य मात्रम्)

• महापातककोटयः: crores of great sins
• महापातककोटयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (महापातकानां कोटयः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha; Śivatīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (tapasvins)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates as pilgrims bathe at a sacred pool named Cakratīrtha, then walk in a line toward another pool/ghat called Śivatīrtha; the air is charged with sanctity and promise of sin-destruction.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Cakratīrtha
• Śivatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as transformative: a simple act of sacred bathing can dissolve even great accumulations of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakratīrtha and Śivatīrtha are explicitly praised as sin-destroying tīrthas within Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Cakratīrtha, followed by going to Śivatīrtha.