Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल ब्रह्मतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । अन्येषां चैव तीर्थानां परात्परतरं महत्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla brahmatīrthamanuttamam | anyeṣāṃ caiva tīrthānāṃ parātparataraṃ mahat

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! തുടർന്ന് അനുത്തമമായ ബ്രഹ്മതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്കു പോകുക; അത് മറ്റു എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലുമെല്ലാം പരാത്പരമായ മഹത്തായ തീർത്ഥമാണ്.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Markandeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक अव्यय (then/thereafter)

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

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

• ब्रह्मतीर्थम्: the Brahma-tirtha (sacred ford)
• ब्रह्मतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः तीर्थम्)

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

• अन्येषाम्: of other (people/things)
• अन्येषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (indeed/just)

• तीर्थानाम्: of sacred places
• तीर्थानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• परात्: than the higher
• परात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तुलनार्थे (than the higher)

• परतरम्: still higher
• परतरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषणम् (महत्/तीर्थम् implied)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ब्रह्मतीर्थस्य)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king, pointing toward a luminous river-ford marked by Brahmā’s presence; pilgrims approach with offerings as the Narmadā flows serenely.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by discernment: certain tīrthas are exalted as uniquely transformative and thus especially recommended.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmatīrtha, presented as an unsurpassed tīrtha within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear prescription of yātrā: one should go (gacchet) to Brahmatīrtha as part of the pilgrimage sequence.