Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । उत्तरे नर्मदाकूले यज्ञवाटस्य मध्यतः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | uttare narmadākūle yajñavāṭasya madhyataḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Alors, ô le meilleur des rois, qu’on se rende à un tīrtha d’une beauté suprême, sur la rive nord de la Narmadā, au cœur même du Yajñavāṭa, l’enceinte du sacrifice.

Word by Word

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

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — 'thereafter/from there'

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

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle) — emphasis/contrast

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीर्थम्: to a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमशोभनम्: most splendid
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक; परम + शोभन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier) तीर्थम्-शब्दस्य

• उत्तरे: on the northern (side)
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier) कूले-शब्दस्य

• नर्मदाकूले: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाकूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा-कूल (प्रातिपदिक; नर्मदा + कूल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यज्ञवाटस्य: of the sacrificial enclosure
• यज्ञवाटस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ-वाट (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + वाट)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• मध्यतः: in the middle/within
• मध्यतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मध्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb/Prepositional) — 'from the middle/within the midst'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṃkarṣaṇa (introduced next verse) / Yajñavāṭa tīrtha context

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as rājendra / nṛpa-nandana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside the flowing Narmadā; on the northern bank lies a defined yajña-enclosure with altars, banners, and sacred fire-pits, inviting entry into a luminous tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Yajñavāṭa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa presents pilgrimage as a guided itinerary—moving from one sanctified locus to another as a dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

A “parama-śobhana” tīrtha located on the northern bank of the Narmadā, situated in the center of a Yajñavāṭa (sacrificial precinct).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: ‘one should go’ (gacchet) to the specified tīrtha; further rites are likely detailed in subsequent verses.