Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेच्च राजेन्द्र तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम् । ब्रह्मावर्तमिति ख्यातं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchecca rājendra tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam | brahmāvartamiti khyātaṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam

Translation

શ્રી માર્કંડેયે કહ્યું—ત્યારબાદ, હે રાજેન્દ્ર! ત્રિલોકમાં પ્રસિદ્ધ તે તીર્થ તરફ જવું જોઈએ; જે ‘બ્રહ્માવર્ત’ નામે ખ્યાત છે અને સર્વ પાપોનો નાશ કરનાર છે।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततः-शब्दः (ablatival adverb: thereafter/from there)

• gacchet: should go / let (him) go
• gacchet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/optative-like injunction), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; विधिलिङर्थे आज्ञा/विधान (let him go)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

• rājendra: O best of kings
• rājendra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः)

• tīrtham: to the sacred place (tīrtha)
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• trailokya-viśrutam: renowned in the three worlds
• trailokya-viśrutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trailokya (प्रातिपदिक) + viśruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणं तीर्थस्य; समासः सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसदृशः (त्रैलोक्ये विश्रुतम् = renowned in the three worlds)

• brahmāvartam: (to) Brahmāvarta
• brahmāvartam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmāvarta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• iti: thus (called)
• iti: Sambandha (Name marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देश/उक्त्यर्थक (quotative: 'called')

• khyātam: known, famed
• khyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khyāta < khyā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणं तीर्थस्य/ब्रह्मावर्तस्य

• sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणं तीर्थस्य; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पापानां प्रणाशनम्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmāvarta

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, as a venerable sage, points the way to a radiant ford named Brahmāvarta; pilgrims approach with staffs and waterpots; the tīrtha is depicted as cosmically famous, with subtle three-world symbolism (heaven/earth/nether) reflected in the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmāvarta (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places (tīrthas) are upheld as dharmic supports, capable of purifying even deep moral impurity when approached with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmāvarta Tīrtha, celebrated as famous across the three worlds and as a destroyer of sins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to “go” (gacchet) to the tīrtha—initiating the pilgrimage discipline that the following verses elaborate.