Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज द्वादशीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । क्षरन्ति सर्वदानानि जपहोमबलिक्रियाः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja dvādaśītīrthamuttamam | kṣaranti sarvadānāni japahomabalikriyāḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya bersabda: Kemudian, wahai Maharaja, hendaklah pergi ke Tīrtha Dvādaśī yang mulia. Di tempat lain, pahala sedekah, japa-mantra, homa dan upacara bali akan berkurang.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-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) — ‘thereafter/then’

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

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

• द्वादशीतीर्थम्: the Dvādaśī sacred ford (tīrtha)
• द्वादशीतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशी-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier) of ‘द्वादशीतीर्थम्’

• क्षरन्ति: perish/flow away
• क्षरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• सर्वदानानि: all gifts/charities
• सर्वदानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• जपहोमबलिक्रियाः: acts of japa, homa, offerings, and rituals
• जपहोमबलिक्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप-होम-बलि-क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvādaśī Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as Mahārāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Dvādaśī Tīrtha; in the background a riverine tīrtha with pilgrims performing dāna, japa, homa, and bali, while a faint motif shows ‘waning’ merit elsewhere contrasted with ‘full’ merit at the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mahārāja (king)
• Dvādaśī Tīrtha
• japa
• homa
• bali
• dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place matters in Purāṇic dharma: certain tīrthas uniquely preserve and magnify the fruit of religious acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvādaśī Tīrtha (within the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred geography).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to go to Dvādaśī Tīrtha; the acts referenced are dāna, japa, homa, and bali-kriyā.