Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल भद्रकालीतिसङ्गमम् । शूलतीर्थमिति ख्यातं स्वयं देवेन निर्मितम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla bhadrakālītisaṅgamam | śūlatīrthamiti khyātaṃ svayaṃ devena nirmitam

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Ensuite, ô roi, qu’on se rende à la confluence nommée Bhadrakālī-saṅgama, renommée comme Śūla-tīrtha, gué sacré façonné par la Divinité elle-même.

Word by Word

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

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• भद्रकालीति: ‘(called) Bhadrakālī’
• भद्रकालीति: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भद्रकाली (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-प्रयोगः (quotative particle); नामनिर्देशार्थम्

• सङ्गमम्: confluence; meeting-place
• सङ्गमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शूलतीर्थम्: the Śūla-tīrtha (holy ford named ‘Śūla’)
• शूलतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूलस्य तीर्थम्)

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative)

• ख्यातम्: known; famed
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्वयम्: by oneself; personally
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• निर्मितम्: made; constructed
• निर्मितम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + मा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūla-tīrtha (Bhadrakālī-saṅgama)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal pilgrim (mahīpāla) approaches a river confluence where a fierce yet protective Bhadrakālī presence is felt; a trident motif marks the tīrtha as Śūla-tīrtha; the waters meet under a luminous sky suggesting divine construction.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mahīpāla (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bhadrakālī-saṅgama
• Śūla-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided dharmic journey, where visiting divinely established tīrthas becomes a means of purification and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhadrakālī-saṅgama, also known as Śūla-tīrtha—described as established by the Lord Himself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct pilgrimage instruction: “one should go” (gacchet) to the specified saṅgama/tīrtha.