Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । दृष्टास्तैः पुरुषाः पार्थ नर्मदातटसंस्थिताः । स्नानदेवार्चनासक्ताः पञ्च एव महाबलाः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dṛṣṭāstaiḥ puruṣāḥ pārtha narmadātaṭasaṃsthitāḥ | snānadevārcanāsaktāḥ pañca eva mahābalāḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പാർഥാ! അവർ നർമദാതീരത്ത് നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന, സ്നാനത്തിലും ദേവാരാധനയിലും ആസക്തരായ അഞ്ചു മഹാബലവാന്മാരെ കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: श्री (उपपद/उपसर्गवत् सम्मानसूचक) + मार्कण्डेय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/उपपद-समास: 'श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः' (venerable Mārkaṇḍeya)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; he said

• दृष्टाः: were seen
• दृष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि; seen

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karaṇa (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (by them)

• पुरुषाः: men
• पुरुषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular (O Pārtha)

• नर्मदातटसंस्थिताः: standing on the Narmadā’s bank
• नर्मदातटसंस्थिताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा + तट + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त); घटक: नर्मदा (नाम) + तट (नाम) + सम्+स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: 'नर्मदायाḥ तटे संस्थिताः' (situated on Narmadā's bank)

• स्नानदेवार्चनासक्ताः: devoted to bathing and deity-worship
• स्नानदेवार्चनासक्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नान + देव + अर्चन + आसक्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त); घटक: स्नान (नाम) + देव (नाम) + अर्चन (नाम) + आसक्त (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (समाहार/उपपद): 'स्नाने देव-अर्चने च आसक्ताः' (attached to bathing and worship of the deity)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; here used as numeral adjective qualifying पुरुषाः (five)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (only/indeed)

• महाबलाः: mighty
• महाबलाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बल (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: महा (उपसर्गवत्) + बल
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: 'महद् बलं येषाम्/महाबल' (very strong)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa (specific ghat/spot implied but unnamed)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Five mighty ascetics/men stand or sit on the Narmadā bank, some entering the water for snāna, others offering flowers and water to a shrine/linga; the brāhmaṇas observe from a respectful distance.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pārtha
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is fulfilled through practice—especially tīrtha-snān (sacred bathing) and deva-arcana (worship).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) riverbank is explicitly highlighted as the sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing in the sacred river) and deva-arcana (worship) are explicitly mentioned.