Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । महाप्रश्नो महाराज यस्त्वया परिपृच्छितः । तत्सर्वं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि नमस्कृत्य स्वयम्भुवम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | mahāpraśno mahārāja yastvayā paripṛcchitaḥ | tatsarvaṃ sampravakṣyāmi namaskṛtya svayambhuvam

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹാരാജാ, നീ ചോദിച്ച ചോദ്യം മഹത്തായതാണ്. സ്വയംഭൂ പ്രഭുവിനെ നമസ്കരിച്ചു ഞാൻ എല്ലാം വിശദീകരിക്കും.

Word by Word

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

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

• महा-प्रश्नः: a great question
• महा-प्रश्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् प्रश्नः)

• महा-राज: O great king
• महा-राज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् राजा)

• यः: which/that (question)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental)

• परिपृच्छितः: asked (inquired)
• परिपृच्छितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + प्रच्छ् (धातु) → परिपृच्छित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सम्-प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain fully
• सम्-प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नमस्कृत्य: having saluted
• नमस्कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् + कृ (धातु) → नमस्कृत्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• स्वयम्भुवम्: Svayambhū (the self-born, Brahmā)
• स्वयम्भुवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय) + भू (धातु) → स्वयम्भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (स्वयम् भवति इति)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya acknowledges the profundity of the king’s question and begins with a bow to Svayambhū, signaling a transition from inquiry to authoritative revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Svayambhū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authentic teaching begins with reverence to the primordial source (Svayambhū) and proceeds as orderly narration (ākhyāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter context is Ravi-tīrtha, but this verse is a narrative transition and invocation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional act is implied: namaskāra (bowing) before teaching.