Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । तत्र तीर्थे तु ये गत्वा शुचिप्रयतमानसाः । पञ्चम्यां वा चतुर्दश्यामष्टम्यां शुक्लकृष्णयोः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tatra tīrthe tu ye gatvā śuciprayatamānasāḥ | pañcamyāṃ vā caturdaśyāmaṣṭamyāṃ śuklakṛṣṇayoḥ

Translation

मार्कण्डेय उवाच—तस्मिन् तीर्थे ये शुचयः प्रयतमानसः सन्तो गच्छन्ति, ते शुक्लकृष्णपक्षयोः पञ्चम्यां वा चतुर्दश्याम् अष्टम्यां वा (गत्वा)…

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed/and/but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having done previously)

• शुचि-प्रयत-मानसाः: with pure and disciplined minds
• शुचि-प्रयत-मानसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषणसमासः)

• पञ्चम्याम्: on the fifth (lunar day)
• पञ्चम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth (lunar day)
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (lunar day)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शुक्ल-कृष्णयोः: of the bright and dark fortnights
• शुक्ल-कृष्णयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (पक्षयोः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), द्विवचन (Dual); समासः—द्वन्द्व (itaretara-dvandva)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-site)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim group approaches a riverbank tīrtha at dawn, carrying offerings, minds restrained; a priest indicates the lunar tithi on a palm-leaf almanac while the river flows serenely.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Tīrtha
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of mind and timely observance (tithi-based devotion) intensify the merit of tīrtha-yātrā and worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific Revā/Narmadā tīrtha referenced as ‘that tīrtha’ within Adhyāya 72.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Visiting the tīrtha and performing worship on key tithis—Pañcamī, Caturdaśī, and Aṣṭamī—in both fortnights.