Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल तीर्थपरमपावनम् । चण्डादित्यं नृपश्रेष्ठ स्थापितं चण्डमुण्डयोः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla tīrthaparamapāvanam | caṇḍādityaṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha sthāpitaṃ caṇḍamuṇḍayoḥ

Translation

শ্ৰী মাৰ্কণ্ডেয় ক’লে: তেতিয়া, হে মহীপাল, পৰম পাৱন তীৰ্থলৈ যোৱা উচিত—হে নৃপশ্ৰেষ্ঠ—চণ্ড আৰু মুণ্ডে স্থাপন কৰা চণ্ডাদিত্য, সূৰ্যদেৱৰ সেই ধামলৈ।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक) = श्री + मार्कण्डेय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—श्री (honorific) + मार्कण्डेय (proper noun)

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (adverb ‘then/thereafter’)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तीर्थपरमपावनम्: the supremely purifying pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थपरमपावनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थपरमपावन (प्रातिपदिक) = तीर्थ + परम + पावन
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—(तीर्थेषु) परमपावनम् इति; ‘most purifying among tīrthas’

• चण्डादित्यम्: Caṇḍāditya (fierce Sun-deity)
• चण्डादित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (appositional/target of going)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डादित्य (प्रातिपदिक) = चण्ड + आदित्य
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—चण्ड (fierce) + आदित्य (sun) → ‘Caṇḍāditya’ (name)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) = नृप + श्रेष्ठ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः

• स्थापितम्: installed
• स्थापितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (predicate participle for ‘चण्डादित्यम्’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘set up/installed’

• चण्डमुण्डयोः: of Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa
• चण्डमुण्डयोः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डमुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) = चण्ड + मुण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः—चण्डः च मुण्डः च

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caṇḍāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla/nṛpश्रेष्ठ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya directs the king toward a radiant Sūrya shrine named Caṇḍāditya on the Narmadā bank; the temple glows with solar emblems; pilgrims approach along the ghāṭa.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Caṇḍāditya
• Caṇḍa
• Muṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by revealed sacred geography—specific tīrthas, deities, and origins are mapped as paths of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Caṇḍāditya tīrtha, a supremely purifying site in the Revā (Narmadā) section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to go (gacchet) and visit the tīrtha of Caṇḍāditya.