Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 167

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । एवमुक्ते निपतितो धुर्यः प्राणैर्व्ययुज्यत । विमानवरमारूढस्तत्क्षणात्समदृश्यत

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | evamukte nipatito dhuryaḥ prāṇairvyayujyata | vimānavaramārūḍhastatkṣaṇātsamadṛśyata

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Als dies gesagt war, stürzte das Lasttier nieder und wurde vom Lebenshauch getrennt. In eben diesem Augenblick, auf einen vortrefflichen Himmelswagen gestiegen, wurde er in göttlicher Gestalt sichtbar.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक/उपपद-आदर) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (आदरार्थ ‘श्री’ + नाम); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• ukte: when (this) was said
• ukte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + -ta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘उक्त’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सप्तमी-absolute (locative absolute)

• nipatitaḥ: fell down
• nipatitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√pat (धातु) + -ta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• dhuryaḥ: the bull (beast of burden)
• dhuryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhurya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• prāṇaiḥ: from/with the life-breaths
• prāṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• vyayujyata: was separated (departed)
• vyayujyata: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√yuj (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः ‘was separated’

• vimāna-vara-m-ārūḍhaḥ: mounted on an excellent aerial car
• vimāna-vara-m-ārūḍhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक) + ārūḍha (कृदन्त from ā-√ruh)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समाससमूहः: ‘vimāna-vara’ (श्रेष्ठं विमानम्) + तस्मिन् ‘ārūḍha’ (आ-√रुह् क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अन्तर्भूत-कर्ता)

• tat-kṣaṇāt: at that very moment / immediately
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tasya kṣaṇāt); पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे ‘immediately’

• samadṛśyata: appeared / was seen
• samadṛśyata: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे ‘was seen/appeared’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (implied as addressee of the episode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates as the animal collapses; in the same instant a radiant divine figure appears seated in a splendid vimāna, hovering above the riverbank, drawing the gaze of the king and crowd.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• vimāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha narratives portray visible transformation as proof of unseen merit and the moral order of karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha is being glorified; this verse narrates the immediate fruit of that tīrtha’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None newly here; it narrates the result of previously mentioned rites.