Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । एवमुक्त्वा तु ते सर्वे स्नानं कृत्वा यथागतम् । जग्मुर्देवा महेशानपुरोगा भरतर्षभ

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | evamuktvā tu te sarve snānaṃ kṛtvā yathāgatam | jagmurdevā maheśānapurogā bharatarṣabha

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ ശേഷം അവർ എല്ലാവരും സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, വന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ മടങ്ങിപ്പോയി; ഹേ ഭാരതശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! മഹേശാനൻ (ശിവൻ) മുൻപിൽ നയിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ദേവന്മാർ പുറപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: कर्ता (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• उक्त्वा: having spoken
• उक्त्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive)

• तु: then; indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ते-विशेषण

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive)

• यथा: as; according to
• यथा: क्रियाविशेषण (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/according to)

• आगतम्: as they had come; in the same manner as arrival
• आगतम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial accusative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) + क्त → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (गमनस्य) विशेषण—‘यथा आगतम्’ = as (they) had come

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• महेशानपुरोगाः: led by Maheśāna (Śiva)
• महेशानपुरोगाः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेशान-पुरोग (प्रातिपदिक; महेशान + पुरोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; देवाः-विशेषण; ‘महेशानः पुरोगः येषाम्’ इत्यर्थे (with Maheśāna in front/leading)

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• भरतर्षभ: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devātīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A Bharata king (addressed as 'bharatarṣabha')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates to a king; in the background, devas emerge from the water and ascend skyward in a procession led by Maheśāna (Śiva).

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Maheśāna (Śiva)
• Devas
• Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by address: Bharatarṣabha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy bathing (snāna) at a praised tīrtha concludes rituals and grants purity, after which even divine beings return content to their abodes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devātīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred landscape) is the implied setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) is explicitly mentioned as the key act performed.