Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज योजनेश्वरमुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धौ पुरा कल्पे नरनारायणावृषी

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja yojaneśvaramuttamam | yatra siddhau purā kalpe naranārāyaṇāvṛṣī

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിന് ശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാരാജാ, യോജനേശ്വരം എന്ന ഉത്തമ തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ പുരാതന കല്പത്തിൽ നര-നാരായണൻ എന്ന രണ്ടു ഋഷിമാർ സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ചിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरबोधक (adverb: thereafter)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahā-rāja: O great king
• mahā-rāja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् राजा)

• yojaneśvaram: Yojaneśvara (lord of Yojana; a sacred place)
• yojaneśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yojanasya īśvaraḥ)

• uttamam: excellent, best
• uttamam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies yojaneśvaram)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• siddhau: in/at Siddhi (a place/state)
• siddhau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; ‘सिद्धौ’ (locative)

• purā: formerly, long ago
• purā: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

• kalpe: in a kalpa (aeon)
• kalpe: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• nara-nārāyaṇau: Nara and Nārāyaṇa
• nara-nārāyaṇau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• ṛṣī: the two sages
• ṛṣī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; ‘ऋषी’ (nom. dual)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yojaneśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (royal listener; likely Yudhiṣṭhira in tīrtha-yātrā setting)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Yojaneśvara; in the background, a tīrtha with a liṅga/īśvara shrine and ascetic aura; subtle vision of Nara–Nārāyaṇa in meditation.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nara
• Nārāyaṇa
• Yojaneśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified tīrtha is praised as a direct support for attaining siddhi when the place is empowered by the tapas of great sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Yojaneśvara Tīrtha, celebrated within the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā region) of the Āvantya Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the tīrtha; the verse frames the visit as spiritually efficacious due to prior siddhi attained there.