Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुरा कृतयुगस्यादौ शङ्करस्तु महेश्वरः । भृगुणाराधितः शप्तः श्रिया च भृगुकच्छके

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | purā kṛtayugasyādau śaṅkarastu maheśvaraḥ | bhṛguṇārādhitaḥ śaptaḥ śriyā ca bhṛgukacchake

Translation

ശ്രീമാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—പുരാതനകാലത്ത്, കൃതയുഗത്തിന്റെ ആരംഭത്തിൽ, ശങ്കരനായ മഹേശ്വരനെ ഭൃഗു ആരാധിച്ചു; ഭൃഗുകച്ചത്തിൽ ശ്രീ (ലക്ഷ്മി) അവനെ ശപിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

• kṛta-yugasya: of the Kṛta-yuga
• kṛta-yugasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कृतं युगम्

• ādau: at the beginning
• ādau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘आदि’ (beginning)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• mahā-īśvaraḥ: the great Lord (Maheśvara)
• mahā-īśvaraḥ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhṛguṇā: by Bhṛgu
• bhṛguṇā: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ārādhitaḥ: worshipped
• ārādhitaḥ: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-rādh (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ

• śaptaḥ: cursed
• śaptaḥ: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śap (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śriyā: by Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śriyā: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• bhṛgu-kacchake: in Bhṛgukacchaka (place)
• bhṛgu-kacchake: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक) + kacchaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक समास: भृगोः कच्छकः

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgukaccha (contextual) leading to Kedāra narrative

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the dawn of Kṛta Yuga, Bhṛgu performs worship to Śaṅkara; nearby, Śrī (Lakṣmī) utters a curse at Bhṛgukaccha, setting a fateful tone for the region’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śaṅkara
• Maheśvara
• Bhṛgu
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• Bhṛgukaccha
• Kṛta Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha greatness is often grounded in ancient divine events—worship, boons, and even curses that shape sacred history.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhṛgukaccha is referenced as the setting for the episode that leads into Kedāra’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhṛgu’s ārādhana (propitiatory worship) of Śaṅkara is mentioned as a narrative cause, not as a step-by-step ritual injunction.