Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पृष्टं यद्राजशार्दूल के मखे होत्रिणोऽभवन् । तत्प्रोच्यमानमधुना शृणु भूत्वा समाहितः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | pṛṣṭaṃ yadrājaśārdūla ke makhe hotriṇo'bhavan | tatprocyamānamadhunā śṛṇu bhūtvā samāhitaḥ

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „O Tiger unter den Königen, du fragtest, wer die Opferpriester in jenem Opfer waren. So höre nun gesammelt zu, während ich es darlege.“

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• पृष्टम्: asked
• पृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• राजशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• राजशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāja-śārdūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (राजा इव शार्दूलः)

• के: who (plural)
• के: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• मखे: in the sacrifice
• मखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• होत्रिणः: priests (hotṛs)
• होत्रिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hotṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अभवन्: were
• अभवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम

• प्रोच्यमानम्: being explained
• प्रोच्यमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु) + śānac (कृदन्त)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (passive present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (now)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु) + ktvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having become)

• समाहितः: collected, attentive
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ā + dhā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kathā frame (unspecified tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājaśārdūla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-hermitage or riverbank assembly: Mārkaṇḍeya ṛṣi addresses a regal listener, inviting concentrated listening before detailing the sacrificial priests.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rājaśārdūla (listener)
• Hotṛ priests (Hotriṇaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic wisdom is transmitted through attentive listening—samādhāna (focused attention) is a prerequisite for understanding dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is transitional; it supports the Revā-khaṇḍa sacred narrative by introducing details of a sanctifying sacrifice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It introduces a yajña context and the question of Hotṛ priests, but does not prescribe a specific rite in this verse.