Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वानान्तदेवेन विश्वरूपमुदाहृतम् । देवराजस्तथा देवाः परं विस्मयमागताः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tacchrutvānāntadevena viśvarūpamudāhṛtam | devarājastathā devāḥ paraṃ vismayamāgatāḥ

Translation

श्री मार्कण्डेय म्हणाले—अनंतदेवाने विश्वरूपाचे वर्णन केलेले ऐकून देवराज इंद्र व इतर देव परम विस्मयास प्राप्त झाले।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; संकेतार्थक

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyā (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund): ‘having heard’

• anānta-devena: by Anantadeva
• anānta-devena: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अनन्तः देवः)

• viśva-rūpam: the universal form
• viśva-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (विश्वं रूपं यस्य/विश्व-रूपम्)

• udāhṛtam: described
• udāhṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-√hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle): ‘described/uttered’

• deva-rājaḥ: the king of gods (Indra)
• deva-rājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां राजा)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (adverb: likewise/also)

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• param: great, extreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• vismayam: astonishment
• vismayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• āgatāḥ: attained, came to
• āgatāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle): ‘having come/attained’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) the king/interlocutor in the frame narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates; Indra and the devas react in astonishment as the Infinite God’s universal form is proclaimed—suggesting a vast, multi-faced cosmic radiance behind the speaker.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Anantadeva
• Viśvarūpa
• Indra
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine reality exceeds ordinary conception; even the gods are humbled and filled with awe when the Lord’s cosmic nature is revealed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative framing within the Revā Khaṇḍa milieu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces a revelatory narrative.