Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । शृणुष्व कथयिष्यामि तं विधिं पाण्डुनन्दन । यत्कृत्वा प्रथमं कर्म निपतेत्तदनन्तरम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | śṛṇuṣva kathayiṣyāmi taṃ vidhiṃ pāṇḍunandana | yatkṛtvā prathamaṃ karma nipatettadanantaram

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు అన్నాడు—ఓ పాండునందనా, విను; ఆ విధిని నేను చెబుతాను. ముందుగా చేయవలసిన ప్రాథమిక కర్మను చేసి, ఆ తరువాత పతనము చేయాలి.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (श्री-विशिष्टः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

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

• śṛṇuṣva: listen
• śṛṇuṣva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (imperative, 2nd sg)

• kathayiṣyāmi: I will explain
• kathayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (नामधातु/धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (simple future, 1st sg)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masc acc sg)

• vidhim: procedure; rule
• vidhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masc acc sg)

• pāṇḍunandana: O son of Pāṇḍu
• pāṇḍunandana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu + nandana (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी: 'son of Pāṇḍu'); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masc voc sg)

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Action qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• prathamam: first
• prathamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter acc sg)

• karma: act; rite
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• nipatet: should fall; should descend
• nipatet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-pat (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (optative, 3rd sg)

• tad: then; that
• tad: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (neuter nom/acc sg)

• anantaram: immediately thereafter
• anantaram: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial: 'immediately after')

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya raises a teaching hand, enumerating steps; beside him are kuśa grass, a japa-mālā, a kamaṇḍalu, and a small fire-altar indicating preliminary rites before the main act.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍunandana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In sacred practice, sequence matters: preparatory discipline precedes the culminating act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā-region tīrtha discourse, later specifying Jvāleśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A preliminary rite (prathama karma) must be completed first; only then is patana to be undertaken.