Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । शृणु पार्थ महाप्रश्नं कथयामि यथाश्रुतम् । सकाशाद्ब्रह्मणः पूर्वमृषिदेवसमागमे

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | śṛṇu pārtha mahāpraśnaṃ kathayāmi yathāśrutam | sakāśādbrahmaṇaḥ pūrvamṛṣidevasamāgame

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പാർഥ, ഈ മഹാപ്രശ്നം കേൾക്കുക. ഞാൻ കേട്ടതുപോലെ തന്നെ പറയുന്നു—മുമ്പ് ഋഷി-ദേവ സമാഗമത്തിൽ സ്വയം ബ്രഹ്മാവിൽ നിന്ന്.

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (perfect, active, 3rd person singular)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperative, active, 2nd person singular)

• pārtha: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (masculine vocative singular)

• mahāpraśnam: great question
• mahāpraśnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + praśna (प्रातिपदिक; महाप्रश्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (great question)

• kathayāmi: I tell
• kathayāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, active, 1st person singular)

• yathā: as, according to
• yathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (indeclinable; 'as/according to')

• śrutam: heard (as I have heard)
• śrutam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śru (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (PPP; neuter accusative singular; used adverbially 'as heard')

• sakāśāt: from (the presence of)
• sakāśāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (neuter ablative singular; 'from the presence of')

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā/Brahman
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (neuter genitive singular)

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (indeclinable adverb of time)

• ṛṣi: sage
• ṛṣi: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-घटक (compound member)

• deva: god
• deva: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-घटक (compound member)

• samāgame: in the assembly/meeting (of sages and gods)
• samāgame: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samāgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपदसमाहारः (ṛṣi+deva) ततः तत्पुरुष-समासः (ṛṣideva-samāgama = meeting of sages and gods)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya addresses Arjuna with a gesture of instruction; in a vignette-like cloud above, Brahmā presides over an assembly of sages and gods, indicating the source of the teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pārtha
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is presented as a received tradition (śruti-like authority), safeguarded through sages and divine assemblies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; it establishes the authority of the forthcoming explanation within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an introductory framing to the teaching.