Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । उत्पत्तिकारणं ब्रह्मा देवदेवः प्रकीर्तितः । प्रथमं सर्वभूतानां चराचरजगद्गुरुः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | utpattikāraṇaṃ brahmā devadevaḥ prakīrtitaḥ | prathamaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ carācarajagadguruḥ

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു— സൃഷ്ടിയുടെ കാരണമായി ബ്രഹ്മാവ് ‘ദേവദേവൻ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധൻ; ചരാചര ലോകത്തിലെ സകല ജീവികൾക്കും അവൻ ആദിഗുരുവാണ്।

Word by Word

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

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

• उत्पत्ति-कारणम्: the cause of creation
• उत्पत्ति-कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (उत्पत्तेः कारणम्)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• देव-देवः: god of gods
• देव-देवः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां देवः)

• प्रकीर्तितः: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रथमम्: first/primarily
• प्रथमम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्

• सर्व-भूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्व-भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि भूतानि)

• चर-अचर-जगत्-गुरुः: teacher of the moving and unmoving world
• चर-अचर-जगत्-गुरुः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचर (प्रातिपदिक) + जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयपूर्वक-तत्पुरुष (चराचरं जगत् यस्य गुरु:)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins the reply by invoking Brahmā as the celebrated cause of creation and primal teacher of all beings, evoking a cosmic vista behind the hermitage discourse.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames dharma-teaching on a cosmic foundation: Brahmā is honored as the primal cause and instructor within the created order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is doctrinal rather than site-specific; within Revā Khaṇḍa it supports the broader sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region by grounding dharma in cosmic origins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces the authority and framework for subsequent dharma instructions.