Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । धर्मपुत्र ततो गच्छेत्कर्कटेश्वरमुत्तमम् । उत्तरे नर्मदाकूले सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dharmaputra tato gacchetkarkaṭeśvaramuttamam | uttare narmadākūle sarvapāpakṣayaṃkaram

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dit : « Ô fils du Dharma, va donc vers le suprême Karkaṭeśvara, sur la rive nord de la Narmadā, là où tous les péchés sont anéantis. »

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धर्मपुत्र: O son of Dharma
• धर्मपुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य पुत्रः)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निष्पन्न)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कर्कटेश्वरम्: to (the shrine of) Karkaṭeśvara
• कर्कटेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्कट + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कर्कटस्य ईश्वरः)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'कर्कटेश्वरम्' इति विशेषणम्

• उत्तरे: on the northern
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'कूले' इति विशेषणम्

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

• सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्: causing the destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (क्षयं करोति = causing destruction)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karkaṭeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) on a riverbank; in the distance stands Karkaṭeśvara’s shrine near the Narmadā, with pilgrims ascending steps and offering water to a liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Narmadā
• Karkaṭeśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified Śiva-tīrtha, undertaken with faith, is praised as a potent means of removing accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Karkaṭeśvara, situated on the northern bank of the river Narmadā, within the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the tīrtha—implying a pilgrimage visit; later verses add bathing and worship.