Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र कुमारेश्वरमुत्तमम् । प्रसिद्धं सर्वतीर्थानामगस्त्येश्वरसन्निधौ

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra kumāreśvaramuttamam | prasiddhaṃ sarvatīrthānāmagastyeśvarasannidhau

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ഉത്തമ കുമാരേശ്വരനിലേക്കു പോകുക; അവൻ അഗസ്ത്യേശ്വര സന്നിധിയിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Markandeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुमारेश्वरम्: to Kumāreśvara (the Lord Kumāra)
• कुमारेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent; supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier) of 'कुमारेश्वरम्'

• प्रसिद्धम्: well-known
• प्रसिद्धम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier) of 'कुमारेश्वरम्/तीर्थम्' (understood)

• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: of all sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अगस्त्येश्वरसन्निधौ: in the vicinity of Agastyeśvara
• अगस्त्येश्वरसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य + ईश्वर + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara (near Agastyeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra / Narādhipa (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king on the Narmadā pilgrimage route; in the background, two shrines: Agastyeśvara (Śiva-liṅga with Agastya motif) and Kumāreśvara (liṅga with Skanda emblem), with the river flowing nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāreśvara
• Agastyeśvara
• Agastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is presented as a guided pilgrimage: moving from one consecrated Śaiva site to another deepens devotion and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumāreśvara, a renowned tīrtha, described as being near Agastyeśvara in the Revā Khaṇḍa landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage injunction: “one should go” (gacchet) to Kumāreśvara—implying darśana and worship as part of the tīrtha-visit.