Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महाराज सांवौरं तीर्थमुत्तमम् । यत्र संनिहितो भानुः पूज्यमानः सुरासुरैः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahārāja sāṃvauraṃ tīrthamuttamam | yatra saṃnihito bhānuḥ pūjyamānaḥ surāsuraiḥ

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను— తదనంతరం, ఓ మహారాజా, ఉత్తమమైన సాంవౌర తీర్థమునకు వెళ్లవలెను; అక్కడ భాను ప్రత్యక్షంగా సంనిహితుడై దేవాసురులచే పూజింపబడుచున్నాడు।

Word by Word

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

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

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana/Temporal (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — ‘thereafter/from there’

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सांवौरम्: Sāṃvaura (named)
• सांवौरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सांवौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-क्रियाविशेषण (relative adverb) — ‘where’

• संनिहितः: present/nearby
• संनिहितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-नि-धा (धातु) → संनिहित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भानुः: the Sun
• भानुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूज्यमानः: being worshipped
• पूज्यमानः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूज्यमान (कृदन्त/शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच् (present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुरासुरैः: by gods and demons
• सुरासुरैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāṃvaura Tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king; name not given in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king to proceed to Sāṃvaura Tīrtha; on the Narmadā bank a radiant Sūrya presence is worshipped by devas and asuras gathered together in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhānu (Sūrya)
• Devas
• Asuras
• Sāṃvaura Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as approaching a living divine presence—here, Sūrya—whose worship is universally revered.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sāṃvaura Tīrtha (in the Revā Khaṇḍa, Āvantya Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is tīrtha-yātrā (to go to Sāṃvaura Tīrtha) and the implied worship of Bhānu/Sūrya there.