Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं तीर्थमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । अतीतं च भविष्यच्च वर्तमानं महाबलम्

Transliteration

etatte kathitaṃ sarvaṃ tīrthamāhātmyamuttamam | atītaṃ ca bhaviṣyacca vartamānaṃ mahābalam

Translation

ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ ഉത്തമമായ മഹാത്മ്യം മുഴുവനും നിനക്കു പറഞ്ഞു; ഭൂതം, ഭാവി, വർത്തമാനം—എല്ലാകാലത്തും ഇതിന് മഹാബലമുള്ള പ്രഭാവമുണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• ते: to you/for you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th), एकवचन — enclitic; here dative/genitive ‘to you/for you’

• कथितम्: told/related
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘told/related’ (predicate)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — adjective to एतत्

• तीर्थ-माहात्म्यम्: the greatness of the tīrtha
• तीर्थ-माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Apposition/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — adjective to तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्

• अतीतम्: the past
• अतीतम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘past’ (as a category)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय conjunction)

• भविष्यत्: the future
• भविष्यत्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भविष्यत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘future’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय conjunction)

• वर्तमानम्: the present
• वर्तमानम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्तमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘present’

• महाबलम्: of great power
• महाबलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् बलम्) — adjective to (तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्/एतत्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate context continuing into 144.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm closing scene: the sage finishes the narration; the king listens with folded hands; behind them the river flows steadily, symbolizing continuity across time.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha-māhātmya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is timeless—its spiritual power operates across all times.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed tīrtha being discussed throughout Adhyāya 143 of Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual; this is a summarizing statement of the tīrtha’s māhātmya.