Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं तात जलमध्ये व्यवस्थितम् । लुङ्केश्वरमिति ख्यातं सुरासुरनमस्कृतम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ tāta jalamadhye vyavasthitam | luṅkeśvaramiti khyātaṃ surāsuranamaskṛtam

Translation

ശ്രീമാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ താത! അതിന്റെ ഉടനെ ജലത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന ‘ലുങ്കേശ്വരം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ സ്ഥലം ഉണ്ട്; ദേവരും അസുരരും അതിനെ നമസ്കരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (śrī + mārkaṇḍeya = revered Mārkaṇḍeya)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लकारः लिट् (Perfect), पुरुषः प्रथम (3rd), वचनम् एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• तस्य: of that / after that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारणार्थक-निपातः (emphatic particle)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative: 'immediately after')

• तात: O dear one / O son
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• जलमध्ये: in the midst of the water
• जलमध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलमध्य (प्रातिपदिक) = जल + मध्य (समास)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (मध्य-शब्दः पुंलिङ्गः), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (in the middle of water)

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated, established
• व्यवस्थितम्: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicate: 'situated')

• लुङ्केश्वरम्: Luṅkeśvara (Lord of Luṅkā)
• लुङ्केश्वरम्: Samjñā/Predicate noun (Name/संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुङ्केश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) = लुङ्का + ईश्वर (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (Lord of Luṅkā)

• इति: thus
• इति: Nipāta (Quotation marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; इत्यादि-उद्धरण-निपातः (quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: known (as), famed
• ख्यातम्: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) → ख्यात (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicate: 'known/called')

• सुरासुरनमस्कृतम्: worshipped by gods and demons
• सुरासुरनमस्कृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुरासुरनमस्कृत (प्रातिपदिक) = सुर + असुर + नमस्कृत (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (instrumental/agent sense): 'worshipped by gods and asuras'; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Luṅkeśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘tāta’ (dear one; likely the inquirer in the frame narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya narrates; in the river’s midst rises a liṅga-shrine called Luṅkeśvara; devas and asuras bow from opposite banks; water swirls around the sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Luṅkeśvara
• Devas
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is presented as a living revelation: certain Śaiva sites possess universal reverence across cosmic factions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Luṅkeśvara, a water-situated Śaiva tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the site and its eminence.