Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । साधु साधु महाप्राज्ञ पृष्टोऽहं नृपनन्दन । स्नानार्थं नर्मदां पुण्यामागतस्ते पिता पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | sādhu sādhu mahāprājña pṛṣṭo'haṃ nṛpanandana | snānārthaṃ narmadāṃ puṇyāmāgataste pitā purā

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു— സാധു, സാധു, മഹാപ്രാജ്ഞ രാജകുമാരാ! നീ ഉത്തമമായ ചോദ്യം ചോദിച്ചു. പുരാകാലത്ത് നിന്റെ പിതാവ് സ്നാനാർത്ഥം പുണ്യ നർമ്മദയിലേക്കു വന്നിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—श्री + मार्कण्डेय (कर्मधारयः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• साधु: well done / good
• साधु: Sambandha/Prayojaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रशंसावाचक-निपात (particle of approval)

• साधु: indeed, well
• साधु: Sambandha/Prayojaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• महाप्राज्ञ: O very wise one
• महाप्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाप्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; समासः—महा + प्राज्ञ (कर्मधारयः)

• पृष्टः: (I am) asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पृच्छ् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘asked’ (agreeing with अहम्)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नृपनन्दन: O son of the king
• नृपनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपनन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—नृपस्य नन्दनः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• स्नानार्थम्: for bathing
• स्नानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—स्नानस्य अर्थः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• नर्मदाम्: the Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुण्याम्: holy
• पुण्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying नर्मदाम्)

• आगतः: came
• आगतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि—(he) having come

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly / long ago
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpanandana (royal son; contextually a Mahābhārata-era interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged sage Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and radiant, addresses a royal youth; behind them flows the broad Revā/Narmadā with ghāṭa steps and pilgrims preparing for snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Yudhiṣṭhira's father (Pāṇḍu, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy bathing (tīrtha-snāna) is upheld as a dharmic purifier, and sincere questions are praised as gateways to sacred knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā is explicitly praised as holy; the Yamahāsya origin narrative is being introduced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the holy Narmadā.