Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पाण्डुतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्सर्वपापविनाशनम् । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्मुच्यते सर्वकिल्बिषैः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | pāṇḍutīrthaṃ tato gacchetsarvapāpavināśanam | tatra snātvā naro rājanmucyate sarvakilbiṣaiḥ

Translation

మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—ఆ తరువాత సర్వపాపనాశకమైన పాండుతీర్థానికి వెళ్లవలెను. ఓ రాజా, అక్కడ స్నానం చేసిన మనిషి సమస్త కల్మషాల నుండి విముక్తుడవుతాడు।

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• pāṇḍu-tīrtham: Pāṇḍu-tīrtha (the sacred ford named Pāṇḍu)
• pāṇḍu-tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• tataḥ: then, from there
• tataḥ: Apādāna/Sequence (Source/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय ("from there/then")

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; विध्यर्थे (one should go)

• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (pāṇḍutīrtham इति)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyā (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having bathed)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• mucyate: is freed
• mucyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (Passive), आत्मनेपदम्

• sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: from all sins/offences
• sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: Apādāna (Ablatival-instrumental usage)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kilbiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; अपादानार्थे ("from all sins")

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāṇḍutīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, the sage, instructs a king; in the background pilgrims descend stone steps to a riverbank tīrtha labeled Pāṇḍutīrtha, performing snāna with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pāṇḍutīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage undertaken with faith, especially sacred bathing, is portrayed as a powerful means of purification from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāṇḍutīrtha, praised as a sin-destroying tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Pāṇḍutīrtha for removal of pāpa (sin) and kilbiṣa (moral impurity).