Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुनरेकार्णवे घोरे नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे । सलिलेनाप्लुते लोके निरालोके तमोद्भवे

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | punarekārṇave ghore naṣṭe sthāvarajaṃgame | salilenāplute loke nirāloke tamodbhave

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : De nouveau, lorsque surgit l’unique océan terrible (de la dissolution) et que périrent tous les êtres, mobiles et immobiles—lorsque le monde fut submergé par les eaux, sans lumière, né des ténèbres—

Word by Word

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

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

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “again”)

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (एकः अर्णवः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘एकार्णवे’)

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त; √नश्)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) — ‘when (it was) destroyed’ (locative absolute sense)

• स्थावरजङ्गमे: (when) the immobile and mobile beings
• स्थावरजङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक) + जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (स्थावराणि च जङ्गमानि च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘in/when the immobile and mobile (beings) (were destroyed)’

• सलिलेन: by water
• सलिलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• आप्लुते: when flooded
• आप्लुते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + प्लुत (कृदन्त; √प्लु)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) — ‘when flooded/immersed’ (locative absolute)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• निरालोके: without light, dark
• निरालोके: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोके’)

• तमोद्भवे: arisen from darkness
• तमोद्भवे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तमसः उद्भवः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोके’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified (frame audience within Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast dark ocean covers everything; no land, no stars; the narrator Mārkaṇḍeya speaks as the world is lightless and submerged, evoking pralaya stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All created forms are impermanent at pralaya; Purāṇic teaching redirects the seeker toward the eternal divine ground beyond dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it opens a cosmological episode within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets the scene for a doctrinal-cosmological account.