Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल रोहिणीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । विख्यातं त्रिषु लोकेषु सर्वपापहरं परम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla rohiṇītīrthamuttamam | vikhyātaṃ triṣu lokeṣu sarvapāpaharaṃ param

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! ഉത്തമമായ രോഹിണീ-തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് ത്രിലോകങ്ങളിലും പ്രസിദ്ധവും സർവ്വപാപഹരമായ പരമവുമാണ്.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (honorific)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अपादानार्थक (thereafter/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, 3rd person singular

• महीपाल: O king (protector of the earth)
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular

• रोहिणीतीर्थम्: Rohiṇī-tīrtha (sacred ford)
• रोहिणीतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिणी + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Accusative singular

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

• विख्यातम्: renowned
• विख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ख्या (धातु) → विख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; predicative adjective of तीर्थम्

• त्रिषु: in three
• त्रिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (लोकेषु इति पदेन सह), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• लोकेषु: worlds
• लोकेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; Locative plural

• सर्वपापहरम्: removing all sins
• सर्वपापहरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rohiṇī-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira to proceed to Rohiṇī-tīrtha; backdrop suggests a sacred riverbank and a map-like sense of onward journey.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rohiṇītīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is treated as a vehicle of purification: approaching a renowned tīrtha with reverence is praised as a means to remove sin and restore dharmic purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rohiṇī-tīrtha, presented as a supremely sin-destroying pilgrimage place in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to visit (gacchet) the tīrtha; detailed rites are implied to follow in the māhātmya.