Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं पार्थ कापिलं तीर्थमाश्रयेत् । स्थापितं कपिलेनैव सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ pārtha kāpilaṃ tīrthamāśrayet | sthāpitaṃ kapilenaiva sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Unmittelbar danach, o Sohn der Pṛthā, soll man Zuflucht beim Kāpila-Tīrtha nehmen, von Kapila selbst errichtet, der Vernichter aller Sünden.“

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (nom sg); समास: कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (perfect, 3rd sg)

• तस्य: of that (place/thing)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (gen sg)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle: just/indeed)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण; नपुंसक एकवचन (adverbial accusative: 'immediately after')

• पार्थ: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (vocative sg)

• कापिलम्: Kapila-related, named Kāpila
• कापिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कापिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter acc sg)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (acc sg)

• आश्रयेत्: should resort to
• आश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg, Ātmanepada)

• स्थापितम्: established
• स्थापितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• कपिलेन: by Kapila
• कपिलेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (instrumental sg)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle: indeed)

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-पातक-नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण; समास: तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāpila Tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (son of Pṛthā; a Pāṇḍava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya speaks to a Pāṇḍava (son of Pṛthā); in the background, Kapila—ascetic with tawny aura—consecrates a tīrtha by the river, making the waters glow as ‘sin-destroying’.

Characters & Entities

• Kapila
• Kāpila Tīrtha
• Pārtha (listener-epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is presented as a guided path: moving from one tīrtha to the next brings progressive purification, especially at sites sanctified by great ṛṣis like Kapila.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāpila Tīrtha, credited to the sage Kapila.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to ‘resort to’/visit (āśrayet) the Kāpila Tīrtha; specific rites follow in later verses.