Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । मिथिलास्थो महाभागो वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः । याज्ञवल्क्यः पुरा तात चचार विपुलं तपः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | mithilāstho mahābhāgo vedavedāṅgapāragaḥ | yājñavalkyaḥ purā tāta cacāra vipulaṃ tapaḥ

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ താത! പൂർവകാലത്ത് മിഥിലയിൽ വസിച്ച, വേദവും വേദാംഗങ്ങളും പാരംഗതനായ മഹാഭാഗൻ യാജ്ഞവൽക്യൻ മഹത്തായ തപസ്സു അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• मिथिलास्थः: dwelling in Mithilā
• मिथिलास्थः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मिथिला + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (मिथिलायां स्थितः)

• महाभागः: very fortunate
• महाभागः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान् भागः यस्य)

• वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः: versed in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas
• वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + वेदाङ्ग + पारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (वेदेषु वेदाङ्गेषु च पारगः = proficient)

• याज्ञवल्क्यः: Yājñavalkya
• याज्ञवल्क्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञवल्क्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb of time)

• तात: O dear one/father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-प्रयोग (Vocative), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), एकवचन (Singular)

• चचार: practised/performed
• चचार: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• विपुलम्: great, abundant
• विपुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mithilā (contextual kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unnamed interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins narration: a luminous portrait of Yājñavalkya in Mithilā—scholarly yet ascetic—engaged in intense tapas, with Vedic symbols (manuscripts, yajñopavīta) and a serene āśrama setting.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yājñavalkya
• Mithilā
• Veda
• Vedāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic learning is crowned by tapas; spiritual authority is shown through both knowledge and disciplined austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse begins the backstory that will culminate in the Pippaleśvara tīrtha’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is referenced as the defining practice undertaken by Yājñavalkya.