Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । इति ते कथितः सर्वः शूलभेदस्य विस्तरः । यः श्रुतः शङ्करात्पूर्वमृषिदेवसमागमे

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | iti te kathitaḥ sarvaḥ śūlabhedasya vistaraḥ | yaḥ śrutaḥ śaṅkarātpūrvamṛṣidevasamāgame

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Ainsi vous ai-je exposé en entier le récit détaillé de Śūlabheda, tel qu’autrefois il fut entendu de Śaṅkara dans la grande assemblée des ṛṣis et des devas.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/वचनक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• इति: thus
• इति: Prayojaka (Quotation marker/इत्यर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘ते’); अत्र चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) — ‘to you’

• कथितः: has been told
• कथितः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त/Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव

• सर्वः: entire
• सर्वः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शूल-भेदस्य: of the piercing/splitting by the trident
• शूल-भेदस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• विस्तरः: the detailed account
• विस्तरः: Karta (Subject of ‘is told’/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यः: which
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/सम्बन्धकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• श्रुतः: was heard
• श्रुतः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त/Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘heard’

• शङ्करात्: from Śaṅkara
• शङ्करात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly, before
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘formerly/before’

• ऋषि-देव-समागमे: in the gathering of sages and gods
• ऋषि-देव-समागमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + समागम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘at the assembly/meeting of sages and gods’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda (account named)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, seated in a forest hermitage or assembly hall, concludes the account, gesturing as if citing Śaṅkara’s earlier teaching before sages and gods.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śaṅkara
• Ṛṣis
• Devas
• Śūlabheda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is validated through a revered lineage of transmission—Śiva to sages, then to later narrators.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda tīrtha, within the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Āvantya Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; the verse frames the conclusion and the authoritative source of the narrative.