Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । शङ्खचूडस्य नाम्ना वै प्रसिद्धं भूमिमण्डले

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | śaṅkhacūḍasya nāmnā vai prasiddhaṃ bhūmimaṇḍale

Translation

શ્રી માર્કંડેયે કહ્યું—નર્મદાના દક્ષિણ કાંઠે પરમ શોભન એક તીર્થ છે; ‘શંખચૂડ’ નામે તે ભૂમિમંડળમાં પ્રસિદ્ધ છે।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (श्री) + mārkaṇḍeya (मार्कण्डेय) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (honorific epithet + name)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• narmadā: of the Narmadā
• narmadā: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (नर्मदा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive)

• dakṣiṇe: on the southern
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (दक्षिण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kūle)

• kūle: bank, shore
• kūle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūla (कूल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative)

• tīrtham: a sacred place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (तीर्थ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• parama-śobhanam: most splendid
• parama-śobhanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (परम) + śobhana (शोभन) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• śaṅkhacūḍasya: of Śaṅkhacūḍa
• śaṅkhacūḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkhacūḍa (शङ्खचूड प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive)

• nāmnā: by the name
• nāmnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (नामन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: 'by name/under the name')

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• prasiddham: well-known, renowned
• prasiddham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-sidh (प्रसिध् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• bhūmi-maṇḍale: in the earthly realm
• bhūmi-maṇḍale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (भूमि) + maṇḍala (मण्डल) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bhūmeḥ maṇḍale)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhacūḍa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana (Arjuna/Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya narrates to Arjuna, pointing toward the Narmadā’s southern bank where a radiant tīrtha named Śaṅkhacūḍa lies amid lush scenery.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Śaṅkhacūḍa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames pilgrimage as dharma: certain places on the Narmadā are intrinsically sanctifying and worthy of reverent approach.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhacūḍa Tīrtha, situated on the southern bank of the river Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed yet; the verse introduces and locates the tīrtha.