Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । सागरान्तं समासाद्य लक्ष्मीः परपुरंजय । चचार विपुलं कालं तपः परमदुश्चरम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | sāgarāntaṃ samāsādya lakṣmīḥ parapuraṃjaya | cacāra vipulaṃ kālaṃ tapaḥ paramaduścaram

Translation

মাৰ্কণ্ডেয় ক’লে: হে পৰপুৰঞ্জয়, সাগৰৰ অন্ত সীমালৈ গৈ লক্ষ্মীয়ে বহুত দীঘল সময় ধৰি অতি দুৰাচৰ, পৰম তপস্যা আচৰণ কৰিলে।

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• सागरान्तम्: the seashore/edge of the ocean
• सागरान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सागरस्य अन्तम्)

• समासाद्य: having reached/approached
• समासाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु) → समासाद्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• परपुरंजय: O conqueror of enemy cities
• परपुरंजय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + पुर + जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (परस्य पुरस्य जयः)

• चचार: practiced/performed
• चचार: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• विपुलम्: vast/long
• विपुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• परमदुश्चरम्: supremely difficult to perform
• परमदुश्चरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + दुश्चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; कर्मधारयः (परमं च तत् दुश्चरं च)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāgarānta-tīrtha (ocean-shore, unspecified)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Parapuramjaya (epithet of the addressed king/hero; exact identity not specified in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: Lakṣmī arrives at the ocean’s edge and undertakes an extremely difficult austerity for a long time; the sea horizon, dunes/rocks, and a solitary ascetic figure dominate the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Lakṣmī (Śrī)
• Ocean (Sāgara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine beings exemplify disciplined tapas to attain higher vision and grace; perseverance in dharma yields spiritual fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is set within the Revākhaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region), here highlighting a liminal sacred locale—‘the ocean’s edge’—as a place fit for intense austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is emphasized; no specific dāna, snāna, or japa is explicitly prescribed in this verse.