Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्याग्रे पावनं तीर्थं स्वर्णबिन्द्विति विश्रुतम् । यत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति मृताश्च न पुनर्भवम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyāgre pāvanaṃ tīrthaṃ svarṇabindviti viśrutam | yatra snātvā divaṃ yānti mṛtāśca na punarbhavam

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ ‘സ്വർണബിന്ദു’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ഒരു പാവന തീർത്ഥമുണ്ട്. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മരിച്ചവരും സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുകയും വീണ്ടും ജന്മം ലഭിക്കാതിരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യും.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: श्री-उपपद + मार्कण्डेय-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-पूर्वपद ‘श्री’ (honorific)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अग्रे: in front (of), near
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (locative adverb) ‘in front/near’

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् ‘तीर्थम्’

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वर्णबिन्दुः: Svarṇabindu (Golden Drop)
• स्वर्णबिन्दुः: Samjna (Name/संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण + बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: स्वर्ण + बिन्दु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (golden + drop)

• इति: thus, called
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• विश्रुतम्: well-known, renowned
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-स्थानवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• मृताः: the dead (persons)
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-रूप)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP sense ‘dead’ used substantively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)

• भवम्: rebirth, becoming again
• भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘पुनर्भवम्’ इति प्रयोगे पुनर्जन्मार्थकः

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svarṇabindu

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpati (king; addressed as ‘māhīpate’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside a luminous river-ford named Svarṇabindu; pilgrims bathe; subtle golden ‘drop’ motif glints on the water; ancestral spirits are shown ascending as light.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Svarṇabindu (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing at a renowned tīrtha is portrayed as a direct purifier with transformative post-mortem destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Svarṇabindu-tīrtha, introduced as a purifying site in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Svarṇabindu-tīrtha.