Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कंडेय उवाच । पितॄणां प्रेतरूपाणां कृत्वा वाक्यं महीपते । चंद्रशर्मा द्विजश्रेष्ठो द्वारकां समुपागतः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṃḍeya uvāca | pitṝṇāṃ pretarūpāṇāṃ kṛtvā vākyaṃ mahīpate | caṃdraśarmā dvijaśreṣṭho dvārakāṃ samupāgataḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Ô roi, après avoir accompli l’injonction de ses ancêtres apparus sous la forme de pretas, l’excellent brāhmane Candraśarmā parvint à Dvārakā.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṃḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṃḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); ‘श्रीमान्’ इति विशेषणपूर्वक नाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg. perfect)

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (masc. gen. pl.)

• pretarūpāṇām: of the forms of departed spirits
• pretarūpāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (neut. gen. pl.); ‘प्रेतस्य रूपम्’

• kṛtvā: having done/made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (कृदन्त—क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावार्थक कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• vākyam: a statement/utterance
• vākyam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• mahīpate: O king
• mahīpate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन (voc. sg.); ‘महीः पालयति’

• caṃdraśarmā: Candraśarmā
• caṃdraśarmā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra-śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); नाम (proper name)

• dvijaśreṣṭhaḥ: the best of Brahmins
• dvijaśreṣṭhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositional qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); उपाधि—‘द्विजानां श्रेष्ठः’

• dvārakām: to Dvārakā
• dvārakām: Karma (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• samupāgataḥ: arrived
• samupāgataḥ: Kriya (Predicate/State)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-upa-√gam (गम्) (कृदन्त—क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); ‘आगतः’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (महीपते)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates to a king: in a dim night scene, ancestral figures appear as pretas, instructing the brāhmaṇa Candraśarmā; then dawn breaks as he sets out and arrives at Dvārakā’s sea-facing gates.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Candraśarmā
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Dvārakā
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fulfilling obligations to the ancestors (pitṛ-dharma) leads the devotee toward tīrtha-journey and higher spiritual resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the destination introduced as the sacred setting for the ensuing account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Obedience to ancestral instruction is emphasized; the verse introduces pilgrimage as the next step.