Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । स्थापितं मुनिसङ्घैर्यद्ब्रह्मवंशसमुद्भवैः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | sthāpitaṃ munisaṅghairyadbrahmavaṃśasamudbhavaiḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : «Alors, ô roi, il faut se rendre à un tīrtha d’une beauté suprême, établi par des assemblées de sages nés dans la lignée de Brahmā».

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Desha-kala-adhikarana (Temporal adverb/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्ययीभावार्थे/क्रमवाचक (then, thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (महीम् पालयति = protector of the earth)

• तीर्थम्: to a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• परमशोभनम्: most beautiful
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (परमं शोभनं = exceedingly beautiful)

• स्थापितम्: established
• स्थापितम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (contextually agreeing with तीर्थम्); कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

• मुनिसङ्घैः: by groups of sages
• मुनिसङ्घैः: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (मुनिनां सङ्घाः = groups of sages)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• ब्रह्मवंशसमुद्भवैः: born from the lineage of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मवंशसमुद्भवैः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वंश (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (कृदन्त, सम्+उद्+भू धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः वंशः → ब्रह्मवंश; तस्मात् समुद्भवाः = born from); कृदन्त: क्त (समुद्भूत) भावे

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha (introduced as the next destination; named explicitly in 87.2)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya, radiant and composed, instructs a king on a riverbank path leading to a splendid tīrtha; in the distance, a cluster of ancient sages performs consecratory rites, suggesting Brahmā-lineage authority.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmā
• muni-saṅgha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as a dhārmic progression—one should move from place to place as instructed by the sages, trusting in tīrthas founded by sanctified lineages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A supremely beautiful tīrtha on the Revā/Narmadā circuit is introduced; the specific name is supplied in the following verse as Ṛṇamocana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the tīrtha is given; detailed rites appear in subsequent verses.