Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं गच्छेत्सूर्यतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । मूलस्थानमिति ख्यातं पद्मजस्थापितं शुभम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ gacchetsūryatīrthamanuttamam | mūlasthānamiti khyātaṃ padmajasthāpitaṃ śubham

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dijo: Después de eso, debe ir al incomparable Sūryatīrtha, el lugar auspicioso conocido como Mūlasthāna, establecido por Padmajā (Brahmā).

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive, Singular “of that/of it”

• एव: just/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — particle “indeed/just”

• अनन्तरम्: next, immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत्/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचनम् — used adverbially “immediately/next”

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Potential/Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सूर्यतीर्थम्: to Sūrya-tīrtha
• सूर्यतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सूर्यस्य तीर्थम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• मूलस्थानम्: the root-place (original site)
• मूलस्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मूलं स्थानम् / मूलस्य स्थानम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक) — quotative particle “thus”

• ख्यातम्: is known (as)
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle “known/called”

• पद्मजस्थापितम्: established by Padmaja (Brahmā)
• पद्मजस्थापितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थापित (प्रातिपदिक; √स्था with caus. स्थापय्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पद्मजेन स्थापितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle used adjectivally; Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sūryatīrtha (Mūlasthāna)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs pilgrims to proceed; a radiant Sūrya shrine/tirtha at dawn, with devotees offering arghya; a subtle presence of Brahmā as the original establisher in a celestial vignette.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Sūryatīrtha
• Mūlasthāna
• Padmaja (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a dharmic progression—moving from one sanctified site to the next to receive auspiciousness and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sūryatīrtha, also known as Mūlasthāna, an auspicious site associated with Brahmā’s establishment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is to ‘go’ (gacchet) to Sūryatīrtha as part of the tīrtha-yātrā sequence.