Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्पाण्डुपुत्र मोक्षतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । सेवितं देवगन्धर्वैर्मुनिभिश्च तपोधनैः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchetpāṇḍuputra mokṣatīrthamanuttamam | sevitaṃ devagandharvairmunibhiśca tapodhanaiḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ പാണ്ഡുപുത്രാ! ദേവന്മാർ, ഗന്ധർവന്മാർ, തപോധന മുനിമാർ സേവിക്കുന്ന അത്യുത്തമ മോക്ഷതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (क्रम/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), क्रम/अपादानार्थ—thereafter/from there

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; विध्यर्थः—should go

• पाण्डुपुत्र: O son of Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डुपुत्र: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डुपुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पाण्डोः पुत्रः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• मोक्षतीर्थम्: the liberation-tīrtha
• मोक्षतीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्षतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मोक्षस्य तीर्थम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मोक्षतीर्थम्)

• सेवितम्: frequented/served
• सेवितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; अत्र विशेषणम् (मोक्षतीर्थम्)

• देवगन्धर्वैः: by gods and gandharvas
• देवगन्धर्वैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवगन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (देवाः च गन्धर्वाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• तपोधनैः: by those rich in austerity (ascetics)
• तपोधनैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (तपः धनं येषाम्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍuputra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira; behind them a radiant river-ford with steps, hermitages, sages in meditation, devas and gandharvas arriving with offerings and music—signifying Mokṣatīrtha’s eminence.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pāṇḍuputra
• Mokṣatīrtha
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Munis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a liberation-bestowing tīrtha is upheld as a dharmic means honored even by divine and sage communities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mokṣatīrtha—presented as an unsurpassed tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is the act of going/visiting (tīrtha-yātrā) to Mokṣatīrtha.