Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल सिद्धेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले तीर्थं परमशोभनम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla siddheśvaramanuttamam | narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam

Translation

मार्कण्डेय म्हणाले—हे महीपाल! मग नर्मदेच्या दक्षिण तिरी असलेल्या परम शोभन, अनुत्तम सिद्धेश्वर तीर्थास जावे.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: 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

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सिद्धेश्वरम्: Siddheśvara (Lord of the Siddhas)
• सिद्धेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सिद्धानाम् ईश्वरः)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• नर्मदायाः: of the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• कूले: bank; shore
• कूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमशोभनम्: supremely beautiful
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः कर्मधारय (परमं शोभनम्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (Narmadā-dakṣiṇa-kūla)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as mahīpāla / nṛpasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to the radiant Siddheśvara tīrtha on the south bank of the Narmadā; the river glints, with a small Śiva shrine and pilgrims approaching the ford.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Siddheśvara (Śiva)
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma encourages pilgrimage to specific Śaiva tīrthas as a disciplined spiritual journey with transformative merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Siddheśvara Tīrtha on the southern bank of the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to go (gacchet) to the tīrtha—beginning the pilgrimage sequence that subsequent verses detail.