Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

जायती युगसाहस्रं नान्या काचिद्भवेदृशी । ऋषिश्चायं महाभागो मार्कण्डो धीमतां वरः

Transliteration

jāyatī yugasāhasraṃ nānyā kācidbhavedṛśī | ṛṣiścāyaṃ mahābhāgo mārkaṇḍo dhīmatāṃ varaḥ

Translation

അവൾ സഹസ്ര യുഗങ്ങൾ വരെ നിലനിൽക്കും; അവളെപ്പോലെ മറ്റാരുമില്ല. ഈ മഹാഭാഗനായ മാർകണ്ഡേയ ഋഷി ധീമന്മാരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനാണ്.

Word by Word

• जायती: is born/arises
• जायती: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• युगसाहस्रम्: for a thousand yugas
• युगसाहस्रम्: Kala (Time extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कालपरिमाणे), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (युगानां साहस्रम्)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अन्या: another (woman)
• अन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• काचित्: any/someone
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (some)

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ऋशी: sage
• ऋशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महाभागः: very fortunate
• महाभागः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (महान् भागः यस्य सः)

• मार्कण्डः: Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नाम)

• धीमताम्: of the wise
• धीमताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (of the wise)

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā (contextual continuation) praising Narmadā and Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tirtha sphere (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable Mārkaṇḍeya, radiant with tapas, is honored as foremost among the wise; alongside, a unique long-enduring feminine figure is praised as lasting a thousand yugas, suggesting a personified principle (vidyā/śruti/śakti) with wide, luminous eyes.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma elevates both sacred geography (the river’s enduring sanctity) and saintly wisdom (the ṛṣi as dhīmatāṃ varaḥ).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā region is the implied tīrtha-field whose uniqueness is being extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it functions as a eulogy establishing authority and sanctity.