Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेद्धराधीश लोटणेश्वरमुत्तमम् । उत्तरे नर्मदाकूले सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gaccheddharādhīśa loṭaṇeśvaramuttamam | uttare narmadākūle sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ଶ୍ରୀ ମାର୍କଣ୍ଡେୟ କହିଲେ: ହେ ଧରାଧୀଶ! ତାପରେ ନର୍ମଦାର ଉତ୍ତର କୂଳରେ ଥିବା ସର୍ବପାତକନାଶକ ଉତ୍ତମ ଲୋଟଣେଶ୍ୱରଙ୍କ ନିକଟକୁ ଯିବା ଉଚିତ।

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (śrī + mārkaṇḍeya)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अपादानार्थक अव्यय (then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• harādhīśa: O lord of the earth (king)
• harādhīśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: harādhīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dharāyāḥ adhīśaḥ)

• loṭaṇeśvaram: Loṭaṇeśvara (a Śiva-linga)
• loṭaṇeśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loṭaṇa-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (loṭaṇasya īśvaraḥ)

• uttamam: excellent, supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (loṭaṇeśvaram)

• uttare: on the northern (bank)
• uttare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (narmadākūle)

• narmadākūle: on the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadākūle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā-kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (narmadāyāḥ kūle)

• sarvapātakanāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarvapātakanāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (sarvāṇi pātakāni nāśayati iti / sarva-pātaka-nāśana) विशेषण (loṭaṇeśvaram)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Loṭaṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (harādhiśa / lord of the earth)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king; in the background, pilgrims walk along the northern Narmadā bank toward the Loṭaṇeśvara shrine, carrying water-pots and bilva leaves; the temple radiates as a sin-destroying beacon.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Loṭaṇeśvara
• Narmadā
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a Śiva-kṣetra on the Narmadā is upheld as a direct means of purification and dharmic upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Loṭaṇeśvara, a Śiva-tīrtha located on the northern bank of the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is pilgrimage/going (gacchet) to Loṭaṇeśvara; no further rite is specified in this verse.