Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल चक्रतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । सेनापुरमितिख्यातं सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla cakratīrthamanuttamam | senāpuramitikhyātaṃ sarvapāpakṣayaṃkaram

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അനന്തരം, ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! സേനാപുരം എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ, സർവ്വപാപക്ഷയകരമായ, അനുത്തമ ചക്രതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകേണ്ടതാണ്।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-पूर्वपद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• चक्रतीर्थम्: to the Cakra-tīrtha (sacred ford)
• चक्रतीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying चक्रतीर्थम्)

• सेनापुरम्: Senāpura (name of the place)
• सेनापुरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; चक्रतीर्थस्य नाम (appositional name)

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Sambandha/Quotative (इत्यर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देशार्थक (quotative)

• ख्यातम्: known; famed
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सेनापुरम्)

• सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्: causing the destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक; घटित-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (चक्रतीर्थम्/सेनापुरम्)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakra-tīrtha (Senāpura)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king (‘mahīpāla’) on the next stop of the Narmadā pilgrimage: a riverside tīrtha marked by Viṣṇu’s cakra emblem, with pilgrims approaching for purification.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Cakra-tīrtha
• Senāpura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to an exalted tīrtha, undertaken with faith, is upheld as a dhārmic means for purification from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakra-tīrtha, renowned as Senāpura, praised as a remover of all sins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct injunction to go/visit (gacchet) the tīrtha—i.e., undertake tīrtha-yātrā as a purificatory act.