Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुरा कल्पे नृपश्रेष्ठ ऋषिदेवसमागमे । प्रश्नः पृष्टो मया तात यथा त्वमनुपृच्छसि

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | purā kalpe nṛpaśreṣṭha ṛṣidevasamāgame | praśnaḥ pṛṣṭo mayā tāta yathā tvamanupṛcchasi

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—ఓ నృపశ్రేష్ఠా! పూర్వకల్పమున ఋషి-దేవ సమాగమంలో, ఓ తాత, నీవు ఇప్పుడు అడుగుతున్నట్లే ఇదే ప్రశ్నను నేనూ అడిగితిని।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे वक्ता-निर्देशः

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

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• कल्पे: in a kalpa (aeon)
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• ऋषिदेवसमागमे: at the gathering of sages and gods
• ऋषिदेवसमागमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि-देव-समागम (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषि + देव + समागम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समाहार/सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुषः (ऋषीणां देवानां च समागमः)

• प्रश्नः: a question
• प्रश्नः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) → पृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्रश्नः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

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

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (conj./adverb: ‘as/how’)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अनुपृच्छसि: are asking (in follow-up)
• अनुपृच्छसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (a king; likely the immediate interlocutor of the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and aged, speaks in a luminous assembly where sages and devas sit in concentric rows; a king listens with folded hands as the question is recalled from a former kalpa.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Sages (Ṛṣis)
• Gods (Devas)
• Yudhiṣṭhira (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings are transmitted through venerable lineages of inquiry and revelation; sincere questioning is part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the backstory for Asmāhaka’s māhātmya but does not yet describe the site’s features.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it sets up an authoritative narrative source for the forthcoming tīrtha teaching.