Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । अथ ते ऋषयः सर्वे देवाश्चेन्द्रपुरोगमाः । माण्डव्यस्याश्रमे पुण्ये समीयुर्नर्मदातटे

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | atha te ṛṣayaḥ sarve devāścendrapurogamāḥ | māṇḍavyasyāśrame puṇye samīyurnarmadātaṭe

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Alors tous ces sages, et les dieux conduits par Indra, s'assemblèrent au saint ermitage de Māṇḍavya sur la rive de la Narmadā.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन; ‘śrī-’ उपपद-विशेषण (honorific)

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

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequencing particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इन्द्रपुरोगमाः: with Indra as their leader
• इन्द्रपुरोगमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘येषां पुरः इन्द्रः सः’ (those whose leader in front is Indra)

• माण्डव्यस्य: of Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्यस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th), एकवचन

• आश्रमे: in the hermitage
• आश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन

• पुण्ये: holy
• पुण्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (आश्रमे)

• समीयुः: assembled/came together
• समीयुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+इ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• नर्मदातटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन; ‘on the bank of the Narmadā’

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māṇḍavya-āśrama (Narmadā-tīra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the serene Narmadā bank, a holy hermitage with thatched huts and sacrificial enclosure; sages seated in a circle; Indra and devas arrive in luminous procession, forming a grand assembly under riverine trees.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Indra
• Māṇḍavya
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places on the Narmadā draw even devas and ṛṣis, showing the Purāṇic emphasis on sacred geography and satsanga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māṇḍavya’s sacred āśrama on the bank of the Narmadā (Revā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse establishes the tīrtha-āśrama setting for ensuing dharmic discourse.