Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल पिङ्गलावर्तमुत्तमम् । तीर्थं सर्वगुणोपेतं कामिकं भुवि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla piṅgalāvartamuttamam | tīrthaṃ sarvaguṇopetaṃ kāmikaṃ bhuvi durlabham

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! തുടർന്ന് ഉത്തമമായ പിംഗലാവർത്തത്തിലേക്കു പോകണം; അത് സർവ്വഗുണസമ്പന്നവും ആഗ്രഹസിദ്ധി നൽകുന്നതുമായ, ഭൂമിയിൽ ദുർലഭമായ തീർത്ഥമാണ്.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular; समास: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (कर्मधारय; ‘venerable Mārkaṇḍeya’)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — perfect, parasmaipada, 3rd sg

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ततः=तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्; क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — optative, parasmaipada, 3rd sg

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन — masculine, vocative singular; समास: मही + पाल (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; ‘protector of the earth’)

• पिङ्गलावर्तम्: to Piṅgalāvarta (a sacred place)
• पिङ्गलावर्तम्: Karma (Object/Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिङ्गल-आवर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular; समास: पिङ्गलस्य आवर्तः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘पिङ्गलावर्तम्’

• तीर्थम्: (that) tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Apposition/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular

• सर्वगुणोपेतम्: endowed with all virtues
• सर्वगुणोपेतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-गुण-उपेत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √इ ‘to go’ with उप-; उपेत=‘endowed’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘तीर्थम्’; समास: सर्वे गुणाः येन उपेतम् (तत्पुरुष)

• कामिकम्: wish-fulfilling/desire-granting
• कामिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘तीर्थम्’

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — feminine, locative singular

• दुर्लभम्: rare/hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘तीर्थम्’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piṅgalāvarta

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs the king to proceed to Piṅgalāvarta; the river forms a dramatic bend/whirlpool near a shrine, with pilgrims arriving.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Piṅgalāvarta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a praised tīrtha is presented as a dharmic act that grants auspiciousness and fulfills worthy aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Piṅgalāvarta tīrtha (associated in this chapter with Piṅgaleśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction to go/undertake pilgrimage (gacchet) to Piṅgalāvarta.