Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र कर्मदीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । यत्र तिष्ठति विघ्नेशो गणनाथो महाबलः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra karmadītīrthamuttamam | yatra tiṣṭhati vighneśo gaṇanātho mahābalaḥ

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ! തുടർന്ന് ഉത്തമമായ കർമദീ തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ മഹാബലനായ ഗണനാഥൻ വിഘ്നേശൻ വസിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदर्थे अपादान/क्रमवाचक (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थ (should go)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधसूचक (particle: but/indeed)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Addressee/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• कर्मदीतीर्थम्: the Karmadī sacred ford
• कर्मदीतीर्थम्: Karma (Destination/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मदी-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मदी नाम तीर्थम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'तीर्थम्' इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Relative location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक/देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• तिष्ठति: stands, resides
• तिष्ठति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विघ्नेशः: Vighneśa (Lord of obstacles)
• विघ्नेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; विघ्नानाम् ईशः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• गणनाथः: Gaṇanātha (Lord of the gaṇas)
• गणनाथः: Apposition (Same referent/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; गणानाम् नाथः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विघ्नेशस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• महाबलः: mighty, of great strength
• महाबलः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-बल (प्रातिपदिक; महत् बलम् अस्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'विघ्नेशः' इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karmadī Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Karmadī Tīrtha; at the riverbank stands Vighneśa, powerful, surrounded by gaṇas, blessing pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Vighneśa
• Gaṇanātha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a sacred journey: visiting specific tīrthas connects devotees to resident deities who grant protection and success.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Karmadī Tīrtha, presented as a distinguished pilgrimage ford in the Revākhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to proceed to (visit) Karmadī Tīrtha; subsequent verses detail bathing/fasting observances.