Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल एरण्डीसङ्गमं परम् । यच्छ्रुतं वै मया राजञ्छिवस्य वदतः पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla eraṇḍīsaṅgamaṃ param | yacchrutaṃ vai mayā rājañchivasya vadataḥ purā

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Dann, o König, soll man zur erhabensten Zusammenkunft der Wasser gehen, genannt Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama—das, was ich einst vernahm, als Śiva selbst sprach, o König.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक; मही + पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एरण्डी: of Eraṇḍī (name of a river/place)
• एरण्डी: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एरण्डी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) [समासपूर्वपद]

• सङ्गमम्: confluence
• सङ्गमम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: supreme/excellent
• परम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; 'heard' as content)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत्/क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle/emphasis)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (करण/Instrument; agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शिवस्य: of Śiva
• शिवस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• वदतः: while speaking / of the one who was speaking
• वदतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; 'of (him) speaking')
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु) + शतृ (कृत्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present Active Participle - शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (the king addressed as rājān / nṛpaśārdūla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, seated as a venerable sage, instructs a king about setting out to Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama; in the background, a river confluence with two differently colored streams meeting.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama
• Śiva
• Rājan (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic pilgrimage is guided by trustworthy transmission—sages relay what they heard from Śiva, directing seekers to eminent tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama, described as a ‘supreme’ confluence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: one should proceed to Ēraṇḍī-saṅgama; further rites are implied to follow in the chapter.