Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मणिपूरकनामेदं चक्रं तद्धि विमुक्तिदम् । पंचाशच्च तथा वर्णा अंका नाम महेश्वरात्

Transliteration

maṇipūrakanāmedaṃ cakraṃ taddhi vimuktidam | paṃcāśacca tathā varṇā aṃkā nāma maheśvarāt

Translation

จักระนี้มีนามว่า มณีปูรกะ และแท้จริงประทานโมกษะ (ความหลุดพ้น) อีกทั้งอักษรห้าสิบประการ—ที่เรียกว่า ‘อังคา’—ก็กล่าวกันว่าอุบัติจากพระมเหศวร

Word by Word

• मणिपूरकनाम: named ‘Maṇipūraka’
• मणिपूरकनाम: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मणिपूरक (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; ‘मणिपूरक-नाम’ इति नामविशेषणम् (having the name ‘Maṇipūraka’)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Viśeṣya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (demonstrative pronoun)

• चक्रम्: wheel; chakra
• चक्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (correlative pronoun)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधानार्थ/हेतौ (indeed/for)

• विमुक्तिदम्: granting liberation
• विमुक्तिदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + द (कृदन्त; √दा दाने)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘विमुक्तिं ददाति’ इति (giver of liberation)

• पञ्चाशत्: fifty
• पञ्चाशत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशत् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र ‘वर्णाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (fifty)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘also/likewise’

• वर्णाः: letters; syllables
• वर्णाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• अङ्काः: numbers; digits
• अङ्काः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• नाम: namely
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositive marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशे (as/namely)

• महेश्वरात्: from Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी एकवचनम् (ablative: from Mahēśvara)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇipūraka (inner tīrtha)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing yet controlled lotus-wheel at the navel labeled ‘Maṇipūraka’; around it orbit the fifty Sanskrit letters as golden glyphs emerging from Maheśvara’s radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇipūraka-cakra
• Vimukti
• Fifty letters (varṇāḥ)
• Maheśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to inner spiritual centers and sacred sound: the cakra and the varṇas (letters) are treated as Śiva-derived powers guiding one toward vimukti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it contributes to the chapter’s broader māhātmya teaching through Śaiva cosmology and mantra doctrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual act is prescribed; the verse highlights doctrinal foundations (cakra and varṇa) often associated with japa and mantra-sādhana.