Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्य तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यं पुराणे यच्छ्रुतं मया । न तद्वर्णयितुं शक्यं संक्षेपेण वदाम्यतः

Transliteration

tasya tīrthasya māhātmyaṃ purāṇe yacchrutaṃ mayā | na tadvarṇayituṃ śakyaṃ saṃkṣepeṇa vadāmyataḥ

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം പുരാണങ്ങളിൽ ഞാൻ കേട്ടതുപോലെ യഥാർത്ഥമായി വർണ്ണിക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല; അതിനാൽ ഞാൻ സംക്ഷിപ്തമായി മാത്രം പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तीर्थस्य: of the sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness/glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'यत्' इति विशेषणम्

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• तत्: that (glory)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'माहात्म्यम्' इत्यर्थे पुनरुक्ति

• वर्णयितुम्: to describe
• वर्णयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्णय् (धातु; √वर्ण् caus.)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थक (to describe)

• शक्यम्: possible
• शक्यम्: Predicate adjective (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् से निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (possible)

• संक्षेपेण: briefly
• संक्षेपेण: Karana/Mode (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थक (in brief)

• वदामि: I say
• वदामि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (therefore/for this reason)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karkaṭeśvara (referent)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya, hands raised in a modest gesture, acknowledges the immeasurable greatness of the tīrtha while preparing to narrate briefly; manuscripts or a symbolic Purāṇa text may appear beside him.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Purāṇa (tradition)
• Karkaṭeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are presented as possessing an immeasurable potency; Purāṇic narration itself is a vehicle of transmitting that sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha previously introduced—Karkaṭeśvara on the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it establishes the rhetorical frame that the tīrtha’s glory is vast and only summarized.