Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं चान्यच्छिखितीर्थमनुत्तमम् । प्रधानं सर्वतीर्थानां पञ्चायतनमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ cānyacchikhitīrthamanuttamam | pradhānaṃ sarvatīrthānāṃ pañcāyatanamuttamam

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിന്റെ ഉടനെ ‘ശിഖിതീർത്ഥം’ എന്ന മറ്റൊരു അനുത്തമ തീർത്ഥമുണ്ട്; അത് സർവ്വതീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലെയും പ്രധാനം, ഉത്തമ പഞ്ചായതന ധാമവും ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that/thereafter of it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् अव्यय (adverbial accusative), अर्थ: ततः परम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं (तीर्थम्)

• शिखितीर्थम्: the Śikhi-tīrtha
• शिखितीर्थम्: Karma/Predicate noun (Contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखि (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शिखिनः तीर्थम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं (तीर्थम्)

• प्रधानम्: chief
• प्रधानम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं (तीर्थम्/पञ्चायतनम्)

• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: of all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समास: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• पञ्चायतनम्: the five-shrine complex
• पञ्चायतनम्: Predicate noun (Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च आयतनानि यस्मिन्/पञ्चायतनम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं (पञ्चायतनम्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śikhitīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya speaking to a king, pointing toward a riverside sacred complex: five shrines/altars arranged as pañcāyatana, pilgrims arriving with offerings; Narmadā visible nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śikhitīrtha
• Pañcāyatana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches that certain tīrthas are celebrated as spiritually preeminent, especially when worship is integrated in a complete sacred complex (pañcāyatana).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śikhitīrtha, presented as an unsurpassed tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the site and its status as a pañcāyatana sacred place.