Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततः क्रोशान्तरे पार्थ तीर्थं कोटीश्वरं परम् । यत्र स्नानं च दानं च जपहोमार्चनादिकम् । भक्त्या कृतं नरैस्तत्र सर्वं कोटिगुणं भवेत्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tataḥ krośāntare pārtha tīrthaṃ koṭīśvaraṃ param | yatra snānaṃ ca dānaṃ ca japahomārcanādikam | bhaktyā kṛtaṃ naraistatra sarvaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ bhavet

Translation

マールカンデーヤは言った。「それから、パールタよ、一クロ―シャの隔たりに、コーティーシュヴァラ（Koṭīśvara）と呼ばれる最上のティールタがある。そこでは沐浴、布施、そしてジャパ（japa）・ホーマ（homa）・礼拝などの行が、人々により信心をもってなされるなら、そのすべての果報は百万倍となる。」

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—वच् (2/अदादि)

• tataḥ: then; from there
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (from there/then)

• krośa-antare: within a krośa (distance)
• krośa-antare: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krośa (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘क्रोशस्य अन्तरम्’ (within a krośa distance)

• pārtha: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्

• tīrtham: a sacred ford/place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता/वर्ण्य), एकवचनम्

• koṭīśvaram: Koṭīśvara (name of the tīrtha/deity)
• koṭīśvaram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭīśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘कोटीनाम् ईश्वरः’ (Lord of crores)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying tīrtham)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• dānam: charity
• dānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• japa-homa-arcana-ādikam: japa, homa, worship, etc.
• japa-homa-arcana-ādikam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक) + homa (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्; समासः—द्वन्द्व (समाहार-द्वन्द्व) + ‘आदि’ (etc.)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचनम्

• kṛtam: done, performed
• kṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्; धातुः—कृ (8/तनादि); ‘(यत् कर्म) कृतम्’

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/कर्ता-करण), बहुवचनम्

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• koṭi-guṇam: a crore-fold
• koṭi-guṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘कोट्या गुणः’ (multiplied by a crore)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—भू (1/भ्वादि)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭīśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya points out Koṭīśvara one krośa ahead; pilgrims bathe, give alms, chant japa, and tend a small homa fire near a liṅga shrine; a symbolic cascade of ‘millionfold’ light radiates outward.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Koṭīśvara
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Pārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti amplifies ritual acts; at certain tīrthas, devotion-filled practice yields extraordinarily multiplied spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭīśvara Tīrtha, a supremely praised sacred ford in the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), dāna (charity), japa, homa, and arcana (worship), performed with devotion.