Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततः पुष्करिणीं गच्छेत्सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम् । श्रुते यस्याः प्रभावे तु सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tataḥ puṣkariṇīṃ gacchetsarvapāpapraṇāśinīm | śrute yasyāḥ prabhāve tu sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

শ্রী মার্কণ্ডেয় বললেন—তারপর সর্বপাপনাশিনী পুষ্করিণীতে গমন করা উচিত; যার মহিমা শ্রবণমাত্রেই মানুষ সকল পাপ থেকে মুক্ত হয়।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणपूर्वक-नाम (honorific + proper noun)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• पुष्करिणीम्: the sacred pond (Puṣkariṇī)
• पुष्करिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्करिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + प्रणाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (पुष्करिणीम् इति विशेष्यस्य)

• श्रुते: when (it is) heard
• श्रुते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘श्रुते’ = ‘श्रुते (विषये/समये)’—when heard/at the hearing

• यस्याः: of which/whose (pond)
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रभावे: in (its) power/effect
• प्रभावे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• सर्वपापैः: from all sins
• सर्वपापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed (is released)
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkariṇī (Revā-tīrtha)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa/jagatīpati addressed in the sequence)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya speaks to a king, pointing toward a luminous lotus-filled pond (puṣkariṇī) near the flowing Revā; pilgrims approach with folded hands, seeking release from sins.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Puṣkariṇī (tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (gamana) and even faithful hearing (śravaṇa) of a tīrtha’s greatness are presented as means of purification and release from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkariṇī, a sacred pond/tīrtha associated with the Revākhaṇḍa region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to Puṣkariṇī; additionally, hearing its māhātmya is itself said to grant freedom from sins.