Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल वह्नितीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यत्र सिद्धो महातेजास्तपः कृत्वा हुताशनः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla vahnitīrthamanuttamam | yatra siddho mahātejāstapaḥ kṛtvā hutāśanaḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Kemudian, wahai raja, hendaklah pergi ke tirtha yang tiada bandingan bernama Vahni-tīrtha, tempat Hutāśana yang bercahaya agung mencapai siddhi setelah bertapa.”

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — perfect, 3rd sg, active

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तरार्थक) — 'then/thereafter'

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — optative, 3rd sg, active

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक; मही + पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative singular

• वह्नितीर्थम्: the Vahni-tīrtha (fire sacred place)
• वह्नितीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; वह्नि + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular; विशेषण of वह्नितीर्थम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक) — relative adverb 'where'

• सिद्धः: accomplished
• सिद्धः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (कृदन्त; √सिध् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; predicate adjective

• महातेजाः: of great splendor
• महातेजाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + तेजस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषण of हुताशनः

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (अव्ययभाव; absolutive/gerund) — having done

• हुताशनः: Agni (the fire-god)
• हुताशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुत-आशन (प्रातिपदिक; हुत (√हु + क्त) + आशन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vahni-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside the flowing Revā; in the distance a luminous Agni performs austerities near a marked ford, flames rising like a pillar.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mahīpāla (King)
• Vahni/Agni (Hutāśana)
• Vahni-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place gains greatness through divine tapas; pilgrimage to such a tīrtha aligns the devotee with that perfected spiritual power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vahni-tīrtha, a celebrated Narmadā river ford associated with Agni (Hutāśana).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse primarily prescribes going (gacchet) to Vahni-tīrtha; later verses in the sequence detail bathing and worship.