Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र भण्डारीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । दरिद्रच्छेदकरणं युगान्येकोनविंशतिः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gaccheta rājendra bhaṇḍārītīrthamuttamam | daridracchedakaraṇaṃ yugānyekonaviṃśatiḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ! ഉത്തമമായ ഭണ്ഡാരീ-തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. അത് പത്തൊമ്പത് യുഗങ്ങളോളം ദാരിദ്ര്യം ഛേദിക്കുന്നതെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘then/thereafter’)

• गच्छेत: should go
• गच्छेत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• भण्डारीतीर्थम्: the Bhaṇḍārī pilgrimage-place
• भण्डारीतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भण्डारी-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भण्डारी-नामकं तीर्थम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तीर्थम् इति विशेषणम्

• दरिद्रच्छेदकरणम्: (that which is) the remover of poverty
• दरिद्रच्छेदकरणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दरिद्र-च्छेद-करण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दरिद्रस्य छेदं करोति)

• युगानि: yugas/ages
• युगानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• एकोनविंशतिः: nineteen
• एकोनविंशतिः: Saṅkhyā (Numeral qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-ऊन-विंशति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (एकेन ऊना विंशतिः = 19)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhaṇḍārī-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside a map-like depiction of the Narmadā route; the next stop, Bhaṇḍārī-tīrtha, is shown with a storehouse motif (bhaṇḍāra) and devotees receiving relief from poverty.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhaṇḍārītīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified tīrtha, undertaken in faith, is portrayed as dharmic support for alleviating hardship and restoring well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhaṇḍārī-tīrtha, praised in the Revā Khaṇḍa as a powerful place associated with removal of poverty.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to go/visit (gacchet) the tīrtha; further rites are detailed in subsequent verses.