Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । धौतपापं ततो गच्छेन्महापातकनाशनम् । समीपे चक्रतीर्थस्य विष्णुना निर्मितं पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dhautapāpaṃ tato gacchenmahāpātakanāśanam | samīpe cakratīrthasya viṣṇunā nirmitaṃ purā

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അനന്തരം പാപം കഴുകിമാറ്റിയവൻ മഹാപാതകനാശകമായ ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് ചക്രതീർത്ഥത്തിനടുത്ത് വിഷ്ണു പുരാതനകാലത്ത് സ്ഥാപിച്ചതാണ്।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person singular

• धौतपापम्: (to) the sin-cleansed (place)
• धौतपापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धौत (धाव्/धौ धातु + क्त) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (धौतं पापं यस्य/धौतपापम्); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying an implied ‘तीर्थम्/स्थानम्’)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Apadana/Temporal (Source/sequence/अपादान-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ततः = ‘thereafter/from there’) — adverb

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunctive/prescriptive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Potential/Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person singular

• महापातकनाशनम्: the destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (नश् धातु + ल्युट्/अन)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (महापातकस्य नाशनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (apposition to implied object)

• समीपे: near
• समीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• चक्रतीर्थस्य: of Cakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चक्र-तीर्थ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive singular

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental singular

• निर्मितम्: constructed
• निर्मितम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + मि (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past participle ‘made/constructed’ (agreeing with implied neuter noun)

• पुरा: formerly/long ago
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — adverb of time ‘formerly’

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha (proximate reference) and a nearby Viṣṇu-established tīrtha (name not given in this verse)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs pilgrims: after purification, go near Cakratīrtha to an ancient sacred place created by Viṣṇu; Viṣṇu’s discus symbolism (cakra) subtly marks the landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Cakratīrtha
• Viṣṇu
• Mahāpātaka-nāśana (tīrtha epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a progressive purification: after cleansing at one tīrtha, one proceeds to another famed for destroying even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha called/known as Mahāpātaka-nāśana, situated near Cakratīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prescribed movement in pilgrimage: after purification, one should go (gacchet) to the next tīrtha renowned for destroying major sins.