Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 174

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । गते चादर्शनं तत्र स राजा विस्मयान्वितः । तीर्थमाहात्म्यमतुलं वर्णयन्स्वपुरं गतः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | gate cādarśanaṃ tatra sa rājā vismayānvitaḥ | tīrthamāhātmyamatulaṃ varṇayansvapuraṃ gataḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അവൻ പോയി അവിടെ അദൃശനായപ്പോൾ രാജാവ് വിസ്മയഭരിതനായി. ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ അതുല മഹാത്മ്യം വർണ്ണിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അവൻ തന്റെ നഗരത്തിലേക്ക് മടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः’ (revered Markandeya)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• gate: when (he) had gone
• gate: Saptami-absolute (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), पुं/नपुंसक?; here locative absolute: सप्तमी, एकवचन (गते)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय

• adarśanam: disappearance
• adarśanam: Saptami-absolute complement / Bhāva (भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adarśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अदर्शन’ = disappearance/not being seen

• tatra: there
• tatra: Desha-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• saḥ: that/he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• rājā: king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vismaya-anvitaḥ: filled with astonishment
• vismaya-anvitaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष—‘विस्मयेन अन्वितः’ (endowed with wonder)

• tīrtha-māhātmyam: the greatness of the sacred place
• tīrtha-māhātmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्’

• atulam: incomparable
• atulam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• varṇayan: describing
• varṇayan: Kriya-sahakari (क्रियासहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: varṇ (वर्ण् धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे (while describing)

• sva-puram: his own city
• sva-puram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘स्वस्य पुरम्’ (his own city)

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle used predicatively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘गतः’ = went

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā ford)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya narrates; the king, still astonished, travels home and addresses his people, describing the incomparable tīrtha’s glory.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• rājā (king)
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Experiencing sacred power leads to kīrtana—sharing the tīrtha’s glory so others may gain faith and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Narmadā tīrtha within Revākhaṇḍa (the verse refers to “that tīrtha,” continuing the prior episode).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the emphasis is on narrating and spreading tīrtha-māhātmya as a dharmic act.