Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुनरेकार्णवे घोरे नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे । सलिलेनाप्लुते लोके निरालोके तमोद्भवे

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | punarekārṇave ghore naṣṭe sthāvarajaṃgame | salilenāplute loke nirāloke tamodbhave

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: Again, when the dreadful single ocean (of dissolution) arose and all moving and unmoving beings had perished—when the world was flooded with water, lightless, and born of darkness—

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; √वच् = said/spoke

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “again”)

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (एकः अर्णवः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘एकार्णवे’)

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त; √नश्)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) — ‘when (it was) destroyed’ (locative absolute sense)

• स्थावरजङ्गमे: (when) the immobile and mobile beings
• स्थावरजङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक) + जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (स्थावराणि च जङ्गमानि च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘in/when the immobile and mobile (beings) (were destroyed)’

• सलिलेन: by water
• सलिलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• आप्लुते: when flooded
• आप्लुते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + प्लुत (कृदन्त; √प्लु)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) — ‘when flooded/immersed’ (locative absolute)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• निरालोके: without light, dark
• निरालोके: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोके’)

• तमोद्भवे: arisen from darkness
• तमोद्भवे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तमसः उद्भवः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोके’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified (frame audience within Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast dark ocean covers everything; no land, no stars; the narrator Mārkaṇḍeya speaks as the world is lightless and submerged, evoking pralaya stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All created forms are impermanent at pralaya; Purāṇic teaching redirects the seeker toward the eternal divine ground beyond dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it opens a cosmological episode within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets the scene for a doctrinal-cosmological account.