Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज सर्पतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धा महासर्पास्तपस्तप्त्वा युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja sarpatīrthamanuttamam | yatra siddhā mahāsarpāstapastaptvā yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിന് ശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാരാജാ! നീ അനുത്തമമായ സർപ്പതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുക; അവിടെ മഹാസർപ്പങ്ങൾ തപസ്സു ചെയ്ത് സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ചു, ഹേ യുധിഷ്ഠിരാ.

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद् + तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त; क्रम/अनन्तर्ये adverb)

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

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• सर्पतीर्थम्: the Serpent-tīrtha
• सर्पतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्पाणां तीर्थम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (सर्पतीर्थम्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/relative adverb of place)

• सिद्धाः: accomplished/perfected ones
• सिद्धाः: Visheshya (Appositional subject/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (कृदन्त; √सिध् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, विशेष्यरूपेण (महासर्पाः)

• महासर्पाः: great serpents
• महासर्पाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मरूपेण (तप्त्वा)

• तप्त्वा: having performed (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarpātīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya guiding Yudhiṣṭhira toward a river ford; at the ford, majestic nāgas in semi-divine form perform austerities—coiled in meditation, hoods flared like canopies—radiant with siddhi.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Sarpa-tīrtha
• Mahā-sarpas (Nāgas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified place is praised as a dharmic path, especially where great beings attained siddhi through tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarpa-tīrtha, an “unsurpassed” serpent-associated sacred ford in the Revā Khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is primarily to undertake yātrā (go/visit) to Sarpa-tīrtha; detailed rites appear in later verses.