Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि भृगुतीर्थस्य विस्तरम् । यं श्रुत्वा ब्रह्महा गोघ्नो मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi bhṛgutīrthasya vistaram | yaṃ śrutvā brahmahā goghno mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : À présent, j’exposerai en détail la grandeur de Bhṛgu-tīrtha. En l’entendant, même le meurtrier d’un brāhmane ou le tueur d’une vache est délivré de toutes les fautes les plus graves.

Word by Word

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

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

• अतः: thereafter, therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/अनन्तरार्थ-निपात (therefore/thereafter)

• परम्: further, next
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोग (accusative used adverbially): 'further/next'

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall explain
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• भृगुतीर्थस्य: of Bhṛgu’s sacred ford
• भृगुतीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भृगोः तीर्थम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• विस्तरम्: detailed account
• विस्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यम्: which
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (refers to 'विस्तरम्')

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Sambandha (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): 'having heard'

• ब्रह्महा: a slayer of a brāhmaṇa
• ब्रह्महा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नकारान्त-प्रातिपदिक (ब्रह्महन्) का प्रथमा-एकवचन रूप

• गोघ्नः: a cow-slayer
• गोघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; 'cow-killer'

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग: 'is released'

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादानार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सर्वाणि पातकानि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे (freed from)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgu-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied continuation of the frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins a new discourse: he gestures toward a luminous river-ford sanctified by Bhṛgu; shadowy figures symbolizing grave sins dissolve as the teaching is spoken.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhṛgutīrtha
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is spiritually potent: sincere hearing of sacred-place glory is presented as a purifier even for grave transgressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhṛgutīrtha, whose ‘vistara’ (detailed greatness) is about to be narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The practice emphasized here is śravaṇa—devout hearing of the tīrtha’s greatness.