Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज नन्दाह्रदमनुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धा महाभागा नन्दा देवी वरप्रदा

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja nandāhradamanuttamam | yatra siddhā mahābhāgā nandā devī varapradā

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു— തുടർന്ന്, ഹേ മഹാരാജാ, അനുത്തമമായ നന്ദാ-ഹ്രദത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ മഹാഭാഗ്യയായ വരപ്രദായിനി ദേവി നന്ദാ സിദ്ധരൂപത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതയാണ്.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Desha/Kala-adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• नन्दाह्रदम्: the Nandā lake
• नन्दाह्रदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दा (प्रातिपदिक) + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb of place)

• सिद्धाः: the Siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• महाभागाः: greatly fortunate; illustrious
• महाभागाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• नन्दा: Nandā
• नन्दा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवी: goddess
• देवी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (समनाधिकरण)

• वरप्रदा: bestower of boons
• वरप्रदा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nandāhrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king; likely the yātrā-inquirer in Revākhaṇḍa dialogue frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to a serene lake where Nandā Devī is present; the lake is ringed by trees and small shrines, with pilgrims approaching in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nandā Devī
• Nandā-hrada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a dharmic journey to living sacred power—here, the Goddess at Nandā-hrada who grants boons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nandā-hrada (the sacred lake of Goddess Nandā) in the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gacchet: a direct injunction to visit the tīrtha (pilgrimage), implying darśana and worship of Nandā Devī.