Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल दशाश्वमेधिकं परम् । तीर्थं सर्वगुणोपेतं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla daśāśvamedhikaṃ param | tīrthaṃ sarvaguṇopetaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! പരമമായ ദശാശ്വമേധിക തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് സർവ്വഗുണസമ്പന്നവും മഹാപാതകനാശിനിയും ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); कर्मधारय: 'venerable Mārkaṇḍeya'

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √वच्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'thereafter/then'

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √गम्

• mahīpāla: O king
• mahīpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• daśāśvamedhikam: equivalent to ten Aśvamedhas
• daśāśvamedhikam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aśvamedhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); द्विगुसमास: 'ten-aśvamedha(-equivalent)' विशेषण

• param: supreme
• param: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); विशेषण

• tīrtham: holy place
• tīrtham: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• sarvaguṇopetam: endowed with all virtues
• sarvaguṇopetam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (प्रातिपदिक; √i धातु-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); तत्पुरुष: 'endowed with all qualities'; उपेत = भूतकृदन्त (PPP)

• mahāpātakanāśanam: destroying great sins
• mahāpātakanāśanam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); तत्पुरुष: 'destroyer of great sins'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king on the route to Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha; in the background a sacred riverbank with pilgrims and a small Śiva shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage undertaken with faith to a praised tīrtha is presented as a powerful purifier that destroys even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha, celebrated within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography (Revā/Narmadā region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct prescription to “go” (gacchet) to the tīrtha; details like bathing and worship appear in the next verse.