Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 134

Devanagari script

समन्ताद्योजनं तीर्थं पुण्यं ह्यमरकण्टकम् । रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतं तेन तत्पुण्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

samantādyojanaṃ tīrthaṃ puṇyaṃ hyamarakaṇṭakam | rudrakoṭisamopetaṃ tena tatpuṇyamuttamam

Translation

അമരകണ്ഠകം ചുറ്റുമെങ്ങും ഒരു യോജന വ്യാപിക്കുന്ന പരമപുണ്യ തീർത്ഥമാണ്. അത് രുദ്രകോടികളാൽ സമുപേതമായതിനാൽ അതിന്റെ പുണ്യം അത്യുത്തമം.

Word by Word

• समन्तात्: on all sides, all around
• समन्तात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘on all sides/around’

• योजनम्: a yojana (measure of distance)
• योजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place, sacred ford
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) of ‘तीर्थम्’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): निश्चय/हेतु (indeed/for)

• अमरकण्टकम्: Amarakaṇṭaka (place-name)
• अमरकण्टकम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara + kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास (determinative): ‘अमराणां कण्टकः/कण्टकम्’ (name)

• रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतम्: endowed with (the presence of) crores of Rudras
• रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudra + koṭi + sam + upeta (उपेत-प्रातिपदिक; √i (धातु) with उपसर्ग sam+upa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘उपेत’ = endowed/attended; समास: ‘रुद्रकोट्या समोपेतम्’ (instrumental-tatpurusha sense) qualifying ‘तीर्थम्/अमरकण्टकम्’

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative) of ‘पुण्यम्’

• पुण्यम्: merit, sacredness
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme, excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘पुण्यम्’

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amarkaṇṭaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide sacred mountain landscape marked as a one-yojana tīrtha-mandala; countless subtle Rudra forms (liṅgas, tridents, ash-smeared ascetics, fiery halos) permeate groves and springs; pilgrims bathe and offer bilva leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Amarkaṇṭaka
• Rudra
• Tīrtha
• Yojana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage geography is not merely physical—Amarkaṇṭaka is portrayed as a vast Śaiva sacred field filled with Rudra-presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Amarkaṇṭaka (Amarkantak), praised as an expansive tīrtha-region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting and revering the entire Amarkaṇṭaka tīrtha-kṣetra, not only a single shrine.