Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेच्च राजेन्द्र कुण्डलेश्वरमुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धो महायक्षः कुण्डधारो नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchecca rājendra kuṇḍaleśvaramuttamam | yatra siddho mahāyakṣaḥ kuṇḍadhāro nṛpottama

Translation

ശ്രീമാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, ആ ഉത്തമ കുണ്ഡലേശ്വരത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ മഹായക്ഷൻ കുണ്ഡധാരൻ സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ചു, ഹേ നൃപോത്തമാ.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (śrīmān mārkaṇḍeyaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रम/अपादानार्थक-प्रयोगः (adverb: then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• rājendra: O king of kings
• rājendra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (rājñām indraḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• kuṇḍaleśvaram: Kuṇḍaleśvara (Lord of Kuṇḍala)
• kuṇḍaleśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (kuṇḍalasya īśvaraḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent; supreme
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (relative adverb: where)

• siddhaḥ: accomplished; perfected
• siddhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• mahā-yakṣaḥ: a great Yakṣa
• mahā-yakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (mahān yakṣaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• kuṇḍa-dhāraḥ: Kuṇḍadhāra (proper name)
• kuṇḍa-dhāraḥ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (kuṇḍaṃ dhārayati iti / kuṇḍasya dhāraḥ—name); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• nṛpa-uttama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (nṛpāṇām uttamaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kuṇḍaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājendra/nṛpottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king; in the background stands Kuṇḍaleśvara liṅga-temple near a sacred waterbody (kuṇḍa), with the Yakṣa Kuṇḍadhāra shown in ascetic posture attaining siddhi.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Kuṇḍaleśvara
• Yakṣa Kuṇḍadhāra
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to Śiva-kṣetras is presented as a direct means to spiritual accomplishment, validated by exemplars who attained siddhi there.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kuṇḍaleśvara, a revered Śaiva tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa itinerary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā prescription: “one should go” (gacchet) to Kuṇḍaleśvara as part of tīrtha-sevana.