Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । इत्युक्तेऽप्सरसः सर्वाः प्रणिपत्य पुनः पुनः । ऊचुर्नारायणं देवं तद्दर्शनसमीहया

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | ityukte'psarasaḥ sarvāḥ praṇipatya punaḥ punaḥ | ūcurnārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ taddarśanasamīhayā

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Als dies gesagt war, verneigten sich alle Apsaras immer wieder in tiefer Niederwerfung; dann wandten sie sich an den Herrn Nārāyaṇa, voll Sehnsucht nach Seiner Schau.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• ukte: when (this) was said
• ukte: Adhikarana (Locus/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘उक्ते’ = (when it was said)

• apsarasaḥ: apsarases
• apsarasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (apsarasaḥ)

• praṇipatya: having prostrated
• praṇipatya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-ni-√pat (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having bowed down)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (repetition for emphasis)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• nārāyaṇam: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• devam: the god
• devam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; apposition to nārāyaṇam

• tat: his/that
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (of him/that)

• darśana: seeing, audience
• darśana: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग); ‘seeing/vision’

• samīhayā: with the desire
• samīhayā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; हेतौ/साधनभावे (by/with the desire)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Darśana of Nārāyaṇa (conceptual tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) the inquiring audience within Revā-khaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: All apsarases gathered, hands folded, repeatedly bowing at Nārāyaṇa’s feet; Mārkaṇḍeya narrates. The scene emphasizes humility, longing eyes, and the Lord’s serene presence.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Apsarases
• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True approach to the Divine begins with humility—repeated prostration and sincere longing for darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Revā Khaṇḍa context (Narmadā/Revā sacred region), though this particular line emphasizes darśana rather than naming a tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the implied practice is namaskāra (prostration) and devotional petition.