Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । एतदाश्चर्यमतुलं दृष्ट्वा देवी सुविस्मिता । विस्मयोत्फुल्लनयना पुनः पप्रच्छ शङ्करम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | etadāścaryamatulaṃ dṛṣṭvā devī suvismitā | vismayotphullanayanā punaḥ papraccha śaṅkaram

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ അതുല്യ അത്ഭുതം കണ്ടു ദേവി അത്യന്തം വിസ്മയിച്ചു; വിസ്മയത്തിൽ വിരിഞ്ഞ കണ്ണുകളോടെ അവൾ വീണ്ടും ശങ്കരനോട് ചോദിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• आश्चर्यम्: wonder
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अतुलम्: incomparable
• अतुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having seen’

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुविस्मिता: greatly astonished
• सुविस्मिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + विस्मित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• विस्मय: wonder
• विस्मय: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• उत्फुल्ल: wide-open
• उत्फुल्ल: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्फुल्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• नयना: (she) whose eyes
• नयना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासान्त-रूप (बहुव्रीहौ स्त्री)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara
• शङ्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) the audience of the Purāṇic discourse; within the scene Devī addresses Śaṅkara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates as Devī, eyes widened in astonishment, turns to Śaṅkara with a questioning gesture; the background retains a faint glow of the recently witnessed vimāna miracle.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred narratives invite reverent inquiry—wonder becomes the doorway to understanding dharma and tīrtha-mahātmyas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā setting continues; the marvel pertains to tīrtha-power within the Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse sets up the theological explanation that follows.