Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि देवैर्मुनिगणैरपि । सेवितानि महाबाहो तानि ध्यातानि विष्णुना

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni devairmunigaṇairapi | sevitāni mahābāho tāni dhyātāni viṣṇunā

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹാബാഹോ! ഭൂമിയിലെ ഏതു തീർത്ഥങ്ങളെയാണോ ദേവന്മാരും മുനിഗണങ്ങളും സേവിക്കുന്നത്, അവയെല്ലാം വിഷ്ണു ധ്യാനിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Sambodhana/Address (implicit speaker tag)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यानि: which (those)
• यानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject; apposition to यानि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• मुनिगणैः: by groups of sages
• मुनिगणैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनिगण (प्रातिपदिक; मुनि + गण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• सेवितानि: served/visited
• सेवितानि: Kriya (predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• महाबाहो: O mighty-armed one
• महाबाहो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाबाहु (प्रातिपदिक; महा + बाहु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ध्यातानि: meditated upon
• ध्यातानि: Kriya (predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devātīrtha (implied as culmination of ‘all tīrthas’)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya speaks expansively, gesturing as if encompassing the whole earth’s tīrthas; behind him, a symbolic montage of rivers, ghāṭas, and sages performing austerities, with a subtle Viṣṇu presence (lotus, conch, or faint four-armed silhouette) indicating ‘dhyāta by Viṣṇu’.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Viṣṇu
• Devas
• Munigaṇas
• Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Mahābāhu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are not merely geographic; they are upheld in divine awareness—linking pilgrimage to cosmic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks broadly of all earthly tīrthas, setting the stage for Devātīrtha’s special status.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it asserts tīrtha-sevā (reverent resorting to holy places) as a revered practice of gods and sages.