Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । धौतपापं ततो गच्छेद्भृगुतीर्थसमीपतः । वृषेण तु भृगुस्तत्र भूयोभूयो धुतस्ततः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dhautapāpaṃ tato gacchedbhṛgutīrthasamīpataḥ | vṛṣeṇa tu bhṛgustatra bhūyobhūyo dhutastataḥ

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—ఆపై భృగుతీర్థ సమీపంలోని ‘ధౌతపాప’ అనే తీర్థానికి వెళ్లవలెను. అక్కడ ఒక వృషభం చేత భృగుముని మళ్లీ మళ్లీ ధౌతుడై శుద్ధిని పొందెను.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (śrīmān mārkaṇḍeyaḥ)

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

• dhautapāpam: Dhautapāpa (the place/name)
• dhautapāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhauta (प्रातिपदिक; √dhāv/√dhu + क्त) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘washed/cleansed’ + ‘sin’ → ‘sin-cleansed (place/name)’)

• tataḥ: from there, then
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (ablatival adverb)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• bhṛgutīrthasamīpataḥ: from near Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• bhṛgutīrthasamīpataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; समासः (bhṛgu-tīrtha = तत्पुरुष; ततः samīpa; समस्तपदात् -तः)

• vṛṣeṇa: by a bull
• vṛṣeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• tu: indeed, however
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक (particle)

• bhṛguḥ: Bhṛgu (sage)
• bhṛguḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb)

• dhutaḥ: shaken/cleansed
• dhutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhuta (प्रातिपदिक; √dhū/√dhu + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (past passive participle used adjectivally)

• tataḥ: thereupon, from that (place)
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhauta-pāpa

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Bhṛgu at a riverbank/kuṇḍa is repeatedly washed by a powerful white bull; pilgrims approach along a path, indicating ‘from there go to Dhauta-pāpa near Bhṛgu-tīrtha’.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhṛgu
• Dhauta-pāpa Tīrtha
• Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• Revā (Narmadā) region

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (yātrā) to specific tīrthas is presented as a dharmic means for purification, grounded in sacred narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhauta-pāpa tīrtha, situated near Bhṛgu-tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional prescription of yātrā—‘one should go’ to Dhauta-pāpa; bathing is implied by the tīrtha context and the motif of washing/purification.