Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र बदर्याश्रममुत्तमम् । सर्वतीर्थवरं पुण्यं कथितं शंभुना पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra badaryāśramamuttamam | sarvatīrthavaraṃ puṇyaṃ kathitaṃ śaṃbhunā purā

Translation

শ্রী মার্কণ্ডেয় বললেন—তদনন্তর, হে রাজেন্দ্র, উত্তম বদর্যাশ্রমে গমন করা উচিত; যা সর্বতীর্থের শ্রেষ্ঠ ও পরম পুণ্য, যার মাহাত্ম্য শম্ভু পূর্বে বর্ণনা করেছিলেন।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः (कर्मधारय)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक अव्यय (then; thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अनुवादक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• बदर्याश्रमम्: the Badarī hermitage
• बदर्याश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बदरी (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—बदर्याः आश्रमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष), तम्

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आश्रमम् इति)

• सर्वतीर्थवरम्: the best of all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थवरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वेषां तीर्थानां वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष), विशेषणम् (पुण्यम्/तीर्थम् अभिप्रेतम्)

• पुण्यम्: holy; meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्/आश्रमम् अभिप्रेतम्)

• कथितम्: told; described
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/कथन-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (पुण्यम् इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण)

• शंभुना: by Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभुना: Karana (Agent in passive/Instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Badaryāśrama

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira to proceed northward to Himalayan Badaryāśrama; backdrop shifts from riverine plains to snow peaks, deodar forests, and an austere āśrama; a sense of ascent and sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Badaryāśrama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a praised tīrtha, undertaken with reverence, is presented as a direct means to accrue great purity and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Badaryāśrama (Badrinath region), acclaimed as the श्रेष्ठ among tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is the act of going (tīrtha-yātrā) to Badaryāśrama; no further rite is specified in this verse.