Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल तीर्थं कनखलोत्तमम् । गरुडेन तपस्तप्तं पूजयित्वा महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla tīrthaṃ kanakhalottamam | garuḍena tapastaptaṃ pūjayitvā maheśvaram

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Dann, o König, soll man zur vortrefflichen Kanakhala-Tīrtha gehen, geheiligt durch die Askesen Garuḍas; dort, nachdem man Maheśvara verehrt hat …

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (thereafter)

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

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

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

• कनखलोत्तमम्: the excellent (tīrtha) called Kanakhala
• कनखलोत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कनखल-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कनखल’ इति नाम + ‘उत्तम’ विशेषणम् (कनखल-नामकं श्रेष्ठम्)

• गरुडेन: by Garuḍa
• गरुडेन: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तृ-निर्देशः (by Garuḍa)

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (तपस्-तप्तम्)

• तप्तम्: performed/undertaken (as penance)
• तप्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘तपसा तप्तम्’ = तपः कृतम्

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); ‘पूजयित्वा’ = पूजां कृत्वा (having worshipped)

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘महान् ईश्वरः’ (Śiva)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kanakhala Tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kanakhala ghāṭa/riverbank with a shrine of Maheśvara; Garuḍa in ascetic posture (wings folded) performing tapas; a kingly pilgrim arrives to worship Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Kanakhala Tīrtha
• Garuḍa
• Maheśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supremely potent through tapas; pilgrimage culminates in Śiva-worship as the heart of the place’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kanakhala Tīrtha, celebrated as ‘uttama’ and associated with Garuḍa’s austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to Kanakhala Tīrtha and worship Maheśvara (Śiva) there.