Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुराणे भास्करे तात एतद्विस्तरतो मया । संश्रुतं देवदेवस्य मार्तण्डस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | purāṇe bhāskare tāta etadvistarato mayā | saṃśrutaṃ devadevasya mārtaṇḍasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

मार्कण्डेय म्हणाला—वत्सा, भास्करपुराणात मी हे सविस्तर ऐकले आहे—देवदेव महात्मा मार्तंड यांचा हा वृत्तान्त।

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

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

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• भास्करे: (called) Bhāskara
• भास्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular; विशेषण — qualifying पुराणे (i.e., Bhāskara-purāṇa)

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

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; here object of ‘heard’

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb: in detail

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — 1st-person pronoun, Instrumental singular

• संश्रुतम्: was heard
• संश्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+श्रु (धातु) → संश्रुत (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used predicatively); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter Nom./Acc. singular; ‘heard’

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular; समास: देवः देवः (god of gods)

• मार्तण्डस्य: of Mārtaṇḍa (the Sun)
• मार्तण्डस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्तण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular (name of the Sun)

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled
• महात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular; विशेषण — qualifying मार्तण्डस्य; समास: महान् आत्मा यस्य

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya gestures to a palm-leaf manuscript, invoking the Bhāskara Purāṇa; behind him a subtle solar disc motif (Mārtaṇḍa) radiates, indicating the subject of the account.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhāskara Purāṇa (as cited source)
• Mārtaṇḍa (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is transmitted through trusted lineages of hearing (śruti/smṛti-style reception), emphasizing faithful preservation of sacred accounts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s focus remains Āśvina Tīrtha, but this verse primarily establishes the source authority for the forthcoming story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a source-citation and narrative setup.