Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रजासंहारलक्षणम् । यच्चिह्नं दृश्यते तत्र यथा कल्पो विधीयते

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi prajāsaṃhāralakṣaṇam | yaccihnaṃ dṛśyate tatra yathā kalpo vidhīyate

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: Hereafter I shall declare the marks of the dissolution of beings—what signs are seen then, and how the cycle of the kalpa proceeds and is set in order.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणपूर्वक-नाम (honorific + proper name)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• ataḥ: therefore/thereupon
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/अनन्तरार्थ अव्यय (therefore/thereupon)

• param: next/further
• param: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• prajā-saṃhāra-lakṣaṇam: the characteristic/sign of the destruction of creatures
• prajā-saṃhāra-lakṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhāra (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (prajānāṃ saṃhārasya lakṣaṇam)

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• cihnam: sign/mark
• cihnam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cihna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dṛśyate: is seen/appears
• dṛśyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• tatra: there/in that context
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• yathā: as/according to
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as/according to how)

• kalpaḥ: the aeon/cycle (kalpa)
• kalpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vidhīyate: is arranged/ordained/takes place
• vidhīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vidhā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya seated in austere hermitage posture, raising a hand in instruction; behind him a faint cosmic diagram of kalpa-cycles and subtle omens gathering in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Kalpa
• Pralaya (Saṃhāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic cycles remind one of impermanence and the need to anchor life in dharma and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the passage shifts from tīrtha-glory to cosmological instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a promise of teaching about pralaya signs and kalpa order.