Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । भृगुतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्तीर्थराजमनुत्तमम् । पैतामहं महापुण्यं सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | bhṛgutīrthaṃ tato gacchettīrtharājamanuttamam | paitāmahaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം ഭൃഗു-തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്കു പോകണം; അതു അനുത്തമമായ തീർത്ഥരാജൻ. ‘പൈതാമഹ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം, മഹാപുണ്യവും സർവ്വപാപനാശനവും।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

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

• भृगुतीर्थम्: Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• भृगुतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भृगोः तीर्थम्)

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• तीर्थराजम्: the king of tīrthas
• तीर्थराजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थानां राजा)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थराजम्)

• पैतामहम्: belonging to the Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• पैतामहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पैतामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थराजम्)

• महापुण्यम्: greatly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महत् पुण्यम्) विशेषणम्

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्) विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgu-tīrtha (Paitāmaha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira to proceed to Bhṛgu-tīrtha; the river-ford is shown as majestic, with sages, banyan trees, and a sanctified ghat bearing the epithet ‘Paitāmaha’.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• Paitāmaha
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified tīrtha is upheld as a direct means of purification and merit, capable of dissolving grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhṛgu-tīrtha, praised as the ‘tīrtha-rāja’ and also known as Paitāmaha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction to go (gacchet) on pilgrimage to Bhṛgu-tīrtha; subsequent rites are implied by tīrtha practice.