Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्याग्रे पावनं तीर्थं स्वर्णबिन्द्विति विश्रुतम् । यत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति मृताश्च न पुनर्भवम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyāgre pāvanaṃ tīrthaṃ svarṇabindviti viśrutam | yatra snātvā divaṃ yānti mṛtāśca na punarbhavam

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Devant ce lieu se trouve le gué sacré purificateur nommé Svarṇabindu. En s'y baignant, on atteint le ciel, et les défunts ne reviennent pas à la renaissance.

Word by Word

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

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

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अग्रे: in front (of), near
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (locative adverb) ‘in front/near’

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् ‘तीर्थम्’

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वर्णबिन्दुः: Svarṇabindu (Golden Drop)
• स्वर्णबिन्दुः: Samjna (Name/संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण + बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: स्वर्ण + बिन्दु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (golden + drop)

• इति: thus, called
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• विश्रुतम्: well-known, renowned
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-स्थानवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• मृताः: the dead (persons)
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-रूप)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP sense ‘dead’ used substantively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)

• भवम्: rebirth, becoming again
• भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘पुनर्भवम्’ इति प्रयोगे पुनर्जन्मार्थकः

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svarṇabindu

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpati (king; addressed as ‘māhīpate’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside a luminous river-ford named Svarṇabindu; pilgrims bathe; subtle golden ‘drop’ motif glints on the water; ancestral spirits are shown ascending as light.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Svarṇabindu (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing at a renowned tīrtha is portrayed as a direct purifier with transformative post-mortem destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Svarṇabindu-tīrtha, introduced as a purifying site in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Svarṇabindu-tīrtha.