Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थं महापुण्यं सर्वतीर्थेषु पावनम् । नर्मदाया महाराज दक्षिणं कूलमाश्रितम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu pāvanam | narmadāyā mahārāja dakṣiṇaṃ kūlamāśritam

Translation

അവിടെ മഹാപുണ്യമയമായ ഒരു തീർത്ഥമുണ്ട്; അത് എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും പാവനകരം, ഹേ മഹാരാജാ; നർമദയുടെ തെക്കൻ തീരത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थम्: the pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महापुण्यम्: greatly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—महद् पुण्यम्; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: among all tīrthas
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्वाणि तीर्थानि

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• नर्मदायाः: of Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

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

• दक्षिणम्: southern
• दक्षिणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कूलम्)

• कूलम्: bank
• कूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आश्रितम्: situated on/resorting to
• आश्रितम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (तीर्थम् इति विशेष्य)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (south-bank Narmadā tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal interlocutor (‘mahārāja’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of the Narmadā’s southern bank with pilgrims approaching a revered ghat; the air feels ‘pāvana’—white lotuses, clear water, and a small Siddheśvara shrine anchoring the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Siddheśvara (implied by continuation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma elevates certain pilgrimage sites as uniquely purifying, encouraging sacred travel and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha introduced in the chapter—Siddheśvara on the Narmadā’s southern bank.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive, establishing the tīrtha’s exceptional purifying status.