Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । संक्षेपात्कथयिष्यामि साध्यस्य चरितं महत् । न हि विस्तरतो वक्तुं शक्ताः सर्वे महर्षयः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | saṃkṣepātkathayiṣyāmi sādhyasya caritaṃ mahat | na hi vistarato vaktuṃ śaktāḥ sarve maharṣayaḥ

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya bersabda: “Aku akan menuturkan secara ringkas riwayat agung Sādhya; kerana tidak semua maharishi mampu menghuraikannya dengan terperinci sepenuhnya.”

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• संक्षेपात्: briefly, in summary
• संक्षेपात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkṣepa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (in the sense of 'briefly')

• कथयिष्यामि: I shall narrate
• कथयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु) [णिच् causative: कथय-]
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• साध्यस्य: of Sādhya
• साध्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• चरितम्: deed, story, conduct
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भावे)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying चरितम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverbial: 'in detail')

• वक्तुम्: to speak
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), अव्ययभाव

• शक्ताः: able
• शक्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भावे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying सर्वे महर्षयः)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying महर्षयः)

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa; addressed as ‘rājan’, ‘bharatarṣabha’ in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest hermitage scene: sage Mārkaṇḍeya seated on kuśa grass, addressing a king; palm-leaf manuscripts nearby; disciples and sacrificial fire in the background, conveying the solemn start of a great account.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Sādhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred history is vast; humility and faithful reception of even a concise teaching is upheld as meaningful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it introduces a narrative explaining the background connected to Śrīpati and Devatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it frames the forthcoming narration.