Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे घोरे नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे । उदधौ च शयानस्य देवदेवस्य चक्रिणः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasminnekārṇave ghore naṣṭe sthāvarajaṅgame | udadhau ca śayānasya devadevasya cakriṇaḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ ഭയങ്കരമായ ഏകാർണവത്തിൽ സ്ഥാവരജംഗമങ്ങളൊക്കെയും നശിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ദേവദേവനായ ചക്രധാരി ഭഗവാൻ ജലത്തിൽ ശയനിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (एकः अर्णवः)

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (एकार्णवे)

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• स्थावरजङ्गमे: (when) the immobile and mobile beings
• स्थावरजङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर + जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (स्थावराणि च जङ्गमानि च)

• उदधौ: in the ocean
• उदधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शयानस्य: of the reclining one
• शयानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शी (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (देवदेवस्य/चक्रिणः)

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां देवः)

• चक्रिणः: of the discus-bearer
• चक्रिणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boundless dark ocean after dissolution; all beings gone; Viṣṇu (Cakrī) reclines upon the waters in yogic repose, radiating calm amid dread vastness.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Viṣṇu (Cakrin)
• Ekārṇava (cosmic flood)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when the cosmos dissolves, the Supreme sustains order; tīrtha-māhātmyas are often rooted in such cosmic memory to emphasize their timeless sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is beginning the origin-context for Rohiṇī-tīrtha, though the tīrtha is not named in this particular verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is mythic background (kathā) setting up the māhātmya.