Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तीर्थमोंकारमारभ्य वक्ष्ये तीर्थावलिं शुभाम् । प्रोच्यमानां समासेन तां शृणुध्वं महर्षयः

Transliteration

tīrthamoṃkāramārabhya vakṣye tīrthāvaliṃ śubhām | procyamānāṃ samāsena tāṃ śṛṇudhvaṃ maharṣayaḥ

Translation

Beginnend mit der Tīrtha von Oṃkāra werde ich eine glückverheißende Girlande von Tīrthas schildern. Da sie kurz vorgetragen wird, hört sie an, o große Rishis.

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ओङ्कारम्: Oṅkāra (a tīrtha/place)
• ओङ्कारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओङ्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आरभ्य: starting from
• आरभ्य: Apadana (Starting point/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + √रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): 'having begun from/starting with'

• वक्ष्ये: I shall describe
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तीर्थ-आवलिम्: the list/series of tīrthas
• तीर्थ-आवलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आवलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'तीर्थाणाम् आवलिः' (series/list of tīrthas)

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• प्रोच्यमानाम्: being described
• प्रोच्यमानाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + √वच् (धातु) → प्रोच्यमान (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'being spoken/being described' (agreeing with तीर्थावलिम्)

• समासेन: briefly
• समासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ताम्: that (list)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शृणुध्वम्: listen (you all)
• शृणुध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• महर्षयः: O great sages
• महर्षयः: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (used in address)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṃkāra tīrtha (as prathama)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Great sages (maharṣayaḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator lifts a symbolic garland made of tiny tīrtha-icons (liṅgas, ghāṭas, kuṇḍas) beginning with a prominent Oṃkāra emblem; sages lean forward to listen; the river runs behind like a blue ribbon tying the garland together.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra (Oṃkāreśvara)
• Maharṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Systematic hearing (śravaṇa) of tīrtha-glories is itself meritorious and prepares the mind for pilgrimage and dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Oṃkāra tīrtha (Oṃkāreśvara region on the Narmadā) is named as the starting point.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is attentive listening (śravaṇa) to the tīrtha-māhātmya; no specific vrata/dāna is stated.