Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । उत्तरे नर्मदाकूले भृगुक्षेत्रस्य मध्यतः । कपिलेश्वरं तु विख्यातं विशेषात्पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | uttare narmadākūle bhṛgukṣetrasya madhyataḥ | kapileśvaraṃ tu vikhyātaṃ viśeṣātpāpanāśanam

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—నర్మదా నదியின் ఉత్తర తీరంలో, భృగుక్షేత్ర మధ్యభాగంలో, కపిలేశ్వరుడు విశేషంగా పాపనాశకుడిగా ప్రసిద్ధుడు।

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः’

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

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

• narmadā-kūle: on the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadā-kūle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘नर्मदायाः कूलम्’

• bhṛgu-kṣetrasya: of Bhṛgu’s sacred region
• bhṛgu-kṣetrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘भृगोः क्षेत्रम्’

• madhyataḥ: from the middle; in the midst
• madhyataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिलन्त (ablatival adverb) — ‘मध्यात्/मध्यतः’

• kapila-īśvaram: Kapileśvara (Lord Kapila)
• kapila-īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapila (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कपिलस्य ईश्वरः’ (नाम)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• vikhyātam: well-known
• vikhyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-khyā (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण

• viśeṣāt: especially; in particular
• viśeṣāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन—हेतौ/विशेषार्थे ‘विशेषात्’

• pāpa-nāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pāpa-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘पापस्य नाशनम्’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapileśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājā) in the Revā-khaṇḍa dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya rishi points toward a riverside shrine: a liṅga-temple named Kapileśvara amid forested Narmadā banks; pilgrims approach with water pots and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Bhṛgu-kṣetra
• Kapileśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a sanctified Śiva-site on the Narmadā is portrayed as a potent means of purification and moral renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapileśvara, located on the northern bank of the Narmadā within Bhṛgu-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is detailed here; the verse primarily identifies and praises the tīrtha as pāpa-nāśana.