Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

दधिस्कन्दे मधुस्कन्दे नन्दीशे वरुणालये । आग्नेये यत्फलं तात स्नात्वा तत्फलमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

dadhiskande madhuskande nandīśe varuṇālaye | āgneye yatphalaṃ tāta snātvā tatphalamāpnuyāt

Translation

Wahai anakanda, di Dadhiskanda, Madhuskanda, Nandīśa dan Varuṇālaya, dengan mandi di sana seseorang memperoleh pahala yang sama seperti yang dinyatakan bagi upacara Āgneya yang berkaitan dengan Agni.

Word by Word

• दधिस्कन्दे: at Dadhiskanda (tīrtha)
• दधिस्कन्दे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि + स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative; name of a tīrtha

• मधुस्कन्दे: at Madhuskanda (tīrtha)
• मधुस्कन्दे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative; name of a tīrtha

• नन्दीशे: at Nandīśa
• नन्दीशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative; name of a place/tīrtha

• वरुणालये: at Varuṇa’s abode
• वरुणालये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण + आलय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative; ‘abode of Varuṇa’

• आग्नेये: at Āgneya
• आग्नेये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative; ‘in/at Āgneya (tīrtha/quarter)’

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘फलम्’ (relative)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Subject of implied ‘is’

• तात: O dear (son)/O dear one
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘फलम्’ (correlative)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Object

• आप्नुयात्: should obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should obtain

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dadhiskanda; Madhuskanda; Nandīśa; Varuṇālaya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Tāta’ addressed (dear one)—a disciple/kingly interlocutor in the ongoing dialogue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like procession of four ghāṭas/kuṇḍas labeled with their names; pilgrims bathing at each; symbolic elements: curd pot for Dadhiskanda, honey pot for Madhuskanda, Nandī bull for Nandīśa, water-pot/ocean motif for Varuṇālaya; a small sacred fire icon indicating Āgneya phala.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhiskanda
• Madhuskanda
• Nandīśa
• Varuṇālaya
• Agni (Āgneya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Multiple tīrthas form a sacred network; bathing in them is equated with high ritual fruits, emphasizing the power of sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A cluster of sites—Dadhiskanda, Madhuskanda, Nandīśa, and Varuṇālaya—within the Narmadā pilgrimage context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at these named tīrthas to gain the stated Āgneya fruit.