Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज तीर्थं परमपावनम् । नर्मदायां सुदुष्प्रापं सिद्धं ह्यनरकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja tīrthaṃ paramapāvanam | narmadāyāṃ suduṣprāpaṃ siddhaṃ hyanarakeśvaram

Translation

ശ്രീമാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാരാജാ, പരമപാവനമായ തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. നർമദയിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന, ദുർലഭപ്രാപ്യവും സിദ്ധവുമായ അനരകേശ്വര തീർത്ഥം അതാണ്.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; उपाधि-पूर्वक-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृपद (speaker)

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

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तर (temporal adverb: thereafter)

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

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• परमपावनम्: supremely purifying
• परमपावनम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तीर्थम् इति विशेषणम्

• नर्मदायाम्: in/on the Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देश/स्थानाधिकरण

• सुदुष्प्रापम्: very difficult to attain
• सुदुष्प्रापम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुष् + प्राप (प्रातिपदिक; प्राप्-धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अनरकेश्वरम् इति विशेषणम्

• सिद्धम्: accomplished/holy
• सिद्धम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; √सिध्-निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अनरकेश्वरम् इति विशेषणम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle of emphasis/indeed)

• अनरकेश्वरम्: Anarakeśvara (name of the sacred lord/place)
• अनरकेश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनरक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम/देवता-नाम; कर्मपद (object of गच्छेत्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Anarakeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and radiant, instructs Yudhiṣṭhira about a rare tīrtha on the flowing Narmadā; the river glints, with a small Śiva shrine labeled Anarakeśvara on the bank.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Anarakeśvara
• Mahārāja (listener, unnamed here)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to an efficacious Śaiva tīrtha on the Narmadā is praised as a powerful purifier and spiritual refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Anarakeśvara tīrtha (a Śiva site) on the river Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to undertake yātrā (go/visit) to the tīrtha; details of worship are implied to follow in the chapter.