Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं चान्यद्रवितीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यस्य संदर्शनादेव मुच्यन्ते पातकैर्नराः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ cānyadravitīrthamanuttamam | yasya saṃdarśanādeva mucyante pātakairnarāḥ

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Aussitôt après, il est un autre gué sacré sans égal, Ravitīrtha ; par sa seule vision, les hommes sont délivrés des péchés.

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that (place/thing)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• रवितीर्थम्: the Sun’s sacred ford (Ravitīrtha)
• रवितीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (raveḥ tīrtham)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यस्य: of which/whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• संदर्शनात्: from the sight (of it)
• संदर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• पातकैः: from sins
• पातकैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ravitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a king (nṛpottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya points out the next sacred ford on the Revā; pilgrims pause at the riverbank as the sun’s light glints on the water, suggesting immediate purification by sight.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Ravitīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of a sanctified place is itself treated as transformative, underscoring the Purāṇic doctrine of tīrtha as living sacred power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ravitīrtha, a tīrtha associated with Ravi/Sūrya (the Sun).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No rite yet—this verse introduces the tīrtha and states that even seeing it removes sins.