Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

धर्मपुत्रवचः श्रुत्वा मार्कण्डेयो मुनीश्वरः । कथयामास तद्वृत्तमितिहासं पुरातनम्

Transliteration

dharmaputravacaḥ śrutvā mārkaṇḍeyo munīśvaraḥ | kathayāmāsa tadvṛttamitihāsaṃ purātanam

Translation

ധർമ്മപുത്രൻ (യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ) പറഞ്ഞ വാക്കുകൾ കേട്ട് മുനീശ്വരൻ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ ആ പുരാതന വൃത്താന്തമായ ഇതിഹാസം വിവരിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• dharmaputra-vacaḥ: the words of Dharmaputra
• dharmaputra-vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmaputra (प्रातिपदिक) + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मपुत्रस्य वचः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) → śrutvā (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• munīśvaraḥ: lord of sages
• munīśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनीनां ईश्वरः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; apposition to mārkaṇḍeyaḥ

• kathayāmāsa: narrated
• kathayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (णिजन्त from kath/kathe?; प्रचलित धातु-प्रयोग: कथय्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; periphrastic perfect sense ‘told’

• tad-vṛttam: that event/account
• tad-vṛttam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (तत् वृत्‍तम् = that account), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• itihāsam: a legend, history
• itihāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itihāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; appositional to tad-vṛttam

• purātanam: ancient
• purātanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: purātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण of itihāsam

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator reporting the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-cycle (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra) respectfully addresses Mārkaṇḍeya; the sage begins narration, holding a manuscript or rosary; a calm hermitage backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra)
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respectful questioning and attentive listening open the door to purāṇic wisdom transmitted through ancient sacred narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative setup continues the Bhṛgu-tīrtha/Paitāmaha context introduced at the start of Adhyāya 204.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it signals the commencement of an explanatory sacred history (itihāsa) that will ground the tīrtha’s greatness.