Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततः परं महाराज चत्वारिंशत्क्रमान्तरे । शालग्रामं ततो गच्छेत्सर्वदैवतपूजितम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tataḥ paraṃ mahārāja catvāriṃśatkramāntare | śālagrāmaṃ tato gacchetsarvadaivatapūjitam

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—മഹാരാജാവേ, അതിനുശേഷം നാല്പത് പടികളുടെ അകലത്തിൽ സർവ്വദേവന്മാരാൽ പൂജിതമായ പുണ്യശാലഗ്രാമത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे वक्ता-निर्देशः

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana/Desha-Kala (Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — 'thereafter/from there'

• परम्: further/next
• परम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverbial accusative) — 'further/next'

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

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; अव्ययवत्/अविकारी; 'forty' (समासे पूर्वपद)

• क्रम-अन्तरे: in the interval of steps (i.e., after forty steps)
• क्रम-अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; 'क्रमाणाम् अन्तरम्' इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• शालग्रामम्: Śālagrāma (place/holy spot)
• शालग्रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• ततः: from there/then
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण — 'from there/then'

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थः (injunctive: 'should go')

• सर्व-दैवत-पूजितम्: worshipped by all deities
• सर्व-दैवत-पूजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + दैवत (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजित (कृदन्त; पूज्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; 'सर्वैः दैवतैः पूजितम्' इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषभावः

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (to a king, mahārāja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma-tīrtha (Revā/Narmadā-taṭa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king; traditionally the inquirer in Revā-khaṇḍa dialogues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is guided by sage Mārkaṇḍeya along the Narmadā bank; a short measured path leads to a sanctified Śālagrāma spot where devas are implied to worship.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śālagrāma
• All deities (sarvadaivata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a living sacred geography—moving from one sanctified spot to the next is itself an act of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śālagrāma tīrtha, presented as universally worshiped by the gods.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional instruction for yātrā: proceed to Śālagrāma after a measured distance (forty steps).