Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । अहो महत्पुण्यतमा विशिष्टा क्षयं न याता इह या युगान्ते । तस्मात्सदा सेव्यतमा मुनीन्द्रैर्ध्यानार्चनस्नानपरायणैश्च

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | aho mahatpuṇyatamā viśiṣṭā kṣayaṃ na yātā iha yā yugānte | tasmātsadā sevyatamā munīndrairdhyānārcanasnānaparāyaṇaiśca

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: Ach! Dies ist höchst verdienstvoll und einzigartig, denn es vergeht nicht einmal am Ende eines Zeitalters. Darum ist es stets am würdigsten, von großen Weisen aufgesucht zu werden—von jenen, die Meditation, Verehrung und heiliges Bad üben.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• अहो: ah!, indeed!
• अहो: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक-निपात (exclamatory particle)

• महत्-पुण्यतमाः: most greatly meritorious
• महत्-पुण्यतमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्यतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative -तम)

• विशिष्टा: distinguished, excellent
• विशिष्टा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• क्षयम्: destruction, decline
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• याताः: gone/attained
• याताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'गता' अर्थे

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• या: which (she/that)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• युगान्ते: at the end of an age
• युगान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युगान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे (therefore/from that)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• सेव्यतमा: most to be served
• सेव्यतमा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सेव् धातु) + तम (प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative -तम)

• मुनीन्द्रैः: by the best sages
• मुनीन्द्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ध्यान-अर्चन-स्नान-परायणैः: devoted to meditation, worship, and bathing
• ध्यान-अर्चन-स्नान-परायणैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (those devoted to meditation, worship, and bathing)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, filled with wonder, addresses a sage in a riverside hermitage; in the background, timeless tīrtha imagery—ancient ghāṭa, flowing Revā, and ascetics engaged in dhyāna, pūjā, and snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Munis (sages)
• Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (implied by section context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha and its merit are portrayed as timeless; sages continually rely on it through dhyāna, arcana, and snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

By Revā Khaṇḍa continuity, the imperishable sanctity refers to Revā–Narmadā and her tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation (dhyāna), worship (arcana), and bathing (snāna) as sustained disciplines at the sacred locus.