Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र गुहावासीति चोत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धो महादेवो गुहावासी समार्बुदम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gaccheta rājendra guhāvāsīti cottamam | yatra siddho mahādevo guhāvāsī samārbudam

Translation

শ্রী মার্কণ্ডেয় বললেন—তদনন্তর, হে রাজেন্দ্র, ‘গুহাবাসী’ নামে প্রসিদ্ধ সেই শ্রেষ্ঠ পুণ্যতীর্থে গমন করা উচিত; যেখানে অর্বুদ পর্বতে মহাদেব ‘গুহাবাসী’ রূপে সিদ্ধিলাভ করেছিলেন।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारयः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधन-रहितः कर्तृपद-रूपेण

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—काल/क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

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

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• गुहावासी: cave-dweller
• गुहावासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुहा-वासी (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-रूपेण (one who dwells in a cave)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक (quotative)

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

• उत्तमम्: the best/excellent (place)
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• सिद्धः: accomplished/perfected
• सिद्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधारित विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (accomplished/perfected)

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-देव (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारयः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गुहावासी: dwelling in a cave
• गुहावासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुहा-वासी (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (as epithet of Mahādeva)

• समार्बुदम्: in great abundance/fully
• समार्बुदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्/क्रियाविशेषणवत् (very many; in full measure)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guhāvāsī

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya indicates the route to the sacred place ‘Guhāvāsī’ on Arbuda: a rocky mountain with a cave-mouth shrine, a liṅga within, ascetics and pilgrims approaching with lamps and water-pots.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Guhāvāsī
• Arbuda (Mount Arbuda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as a dharmic movement toward places where Śiva’s presence is ‘siddha’—spiritually potent and liberating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excellent site named Guhāvāsī, associated with Mahādeva, located on/at Arbuda.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A travel injunction: “one should go” (gacchet) to the Guhāvāsī sacred place.