Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल चाहल्येश्वरमुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धा महाभागा त्वहल्या तापसी पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla cāhalyeśvaramuttamam | yatra siddhā mahābhāgā tvahalyā tāpasī purā

Translation

ശ്രീമാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! ഉത്തമമായ ചാഹല്യേശ്വര തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ പുരാതനകാലത്ത് മഹാഭാഗ്യവതിയായ തപസ്വിനി അഹല്യാ സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपसर्ग/उपाधि-प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय; Adverb of sequence

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• mahīpāla: O king
• mahīpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; Vocative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः; Conjunction/particle

• ahalyeśvaram: Ahalyeśvara (Lord of Ahalyā)
• ahalyeśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahalya (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (अहल्यायाः ईश्वरः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; Masculine accusative singular

• uttamam: supreme, excellent
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; agrees with ahalyeśvaram; Masculine accusative singular

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक); Relative adverb of place

• siddhā: accomplished, perfected
• siddhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Feminine nominative singular

• mahābhāgā: most fortunate, illustrious
• mahābhāgā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Feminine nominative singular

• tu: indeed, however
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपातः; Particle (emphasis/contrast)

• ahalyā: Ahalyā
• ahalyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahalyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Feminine nominative singular

• tāpasī: a female ascetic
• tāpasī: Visheshya (Appositive/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Feminine nominative singular (as apposition)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; Adverb of past time

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāhalyeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Cāhalyeśvara; in the background a Śiva shrine near a river/forest, with Ahalyā depicted as an ascetic whose tapas culminates in siddhi (radiance, flowers falling, divine presence).

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Cāhalyeśvara
• Ahalyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are sanctified by the tapas and siddhi of great souls; visiting them is presented as a dharmic step on pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cāhalyeśvara—an excellent Śaiva site connected with Ahalyā’s ascetic attainment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage instruction: “one should go” (gacchet) to Cāhalyeśvara; no specific rite is detailed in this verse.