Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज तीर्थमङ्गारकं परम् । रूपदं सर्वलोकानां विश्रुतं नर्मदातटे

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja tīrthamaṅgārakaṃ param | rūpadaṃ sarvalokānāṃ viśrutaṃ narmadātaṭe

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Dann, o großer König, soll man zur höchsten Aṅgāraka-Tīrtha gehen, berühmt am Ufer der Narmadā, die allen Wesen Schönheit und Vorzüglichkeit verleiht.“

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधन-रहित कर्तृपद

• 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 (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रम-निर्देशक अव्यय (then/thereafter)

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

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: to the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अङ्गारकम्: (named) Aṅgāraka
• अङ्गारकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अङ्गारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थम्)

• परम्: supreme, excellent
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थम्)

• रूपदम्: bestowing beauty/form
• रूपदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप + द (प्रातिपदिक; द = ददाति-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थम्); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘रूपं ददाति’

• सर्वलोकानाम्: of all worlds/people
• सर्वलोकानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• विश्रुतम्: well-known, renowned
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) → विश्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थम्)

• नर्मदातटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अधिकरण

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṅgāraka Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king; traditionally the inquirer in Revā-khaṇḍa dialogues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Aṅgāraka Tīrtha on the Narmadā’s bank; the river glows, with a marked ford/ghāṭa and a small shrine or liṅga nearby, pilgrims preparing for snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Aṅgāraka Tīrtha
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames sacred travel as transformative—Aṅgāraka Tīrtha is praised as a celebrated Narmadā-bank site granting auspicious qualities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aṅgāraka Tīrtha, explicitly located on the Narmadā’s bank.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage is prescribed (“one should go”); the verse highlights the tīrtha’s fame and boon.