Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । साधु पृष्टं महाराज यच्छ्रेयः पारलौकिकम् । शृणुष्वावहितो भूत्वा यथाज्ञानं वदामि ते

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ mahārāja yacchreyaḥ pāralaukikam | śṛṇuṣvāvahito bhūtvā yathājñānaṃ vadāmi te

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മഹാരാജാ, നീ നല്ല ചോദ്യം ചോദിച്ചു; ഇത് പരലോകസംബന്ധമായ പരമ ശ്രേയസ്സിന്റെ വിഷയമാണ്. ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ കേൾക്കുക; എന്റെ അറിവിനനുസരിച്ച് ഞാൻ നിനക്കു പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (उपसर्ग/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; honorific compound ‘venerable Mārkaṇḍeya’

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• साधु: well! / good
• साधु: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रशंसार्थक-अव्यय (interjection/adverb: well/good)

• पृष्टम्: asked
• पृष्टम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पृष्ट (कृदन्त; √पृच्छ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; predicative: ‘(it is) asked’

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun; correlates with implied ‘तत्’

• श्रेयः: the highest good
• श्रेयः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘the better/good’

• पारलौकिकम्: otherworldly
• पारलौकिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारलौकिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective qualifying ‘श्रेयः’

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘listen’

• आवहितः: attentive
• आवहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आवहित (कृदन्त; आ-√धा/√वह?; lexical ‘attentive’, PPP)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicative/participial adjective to the listener

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययवत्; ‘having become’

• यथाज्ञानम्: as far as I know
• यथाज्ञानम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् (adverbial): ‘according to (my) knowledge’

• वदामि: I tell
• वदामि: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-रूप (enclitic), एकवचन; here सम्प्रदान (to you)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya raises his hand in blessing and instruction; Yudhiṣṭhira sits with folded hands, attentive; the atmosphere is calm, signaling the start of a dharma discourse aimed at transcendent good.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mahārāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Questions about expiation and dharma should be asked sincerely and heard attentively, because they shape one’s welfare beyond this life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse; it introduces authoritative instruction within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is preparatory: attentive listening and receptivity to dharma teaching before undertaking prāyaścitta.