Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । धनदस्य तु तत्तीर्थं ततो गच्छेद्युधिष्ठिर । नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले सर्वपापक्षयंकरम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dhanadasya tu tattīrthaṃ tato gacchedyudhiṣṭhira | narmadādakṣiṇe kūle sarvapāpakṣayaṃkaram

Translation

శ్రీ మార్కండేయుడు పలికెను—హే యుధిష్ఠిరా! ఆపై ధనదుడు (కుబేరుడు) యొక్క ఆ తీర్థానికి వెళ్ళుము; అది నర్మదా దక్షిణ తీరంలో ఉండి సమస్త పాపక్షయకరం.

Word by Word

• श्री-मार्कण्डेयः: revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्री-मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'venerable Mārkaṇḍeya'

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

• धनदस्य: of Kubera
• धनदस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• तत्-तीर्थम्: that sacred ford/place
• तत्-तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'that tīrtha'

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Apadana/Adverbial (Source/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from there/then)

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

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नर्मदा: of the Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Shashthi-sambandha (Relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (in compound context)

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; 'on the southern (side)'

• कूले: bank
• कूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्व-पाप-क्षयम्-करम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्व-पाप-क्षयम्-करम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: सर्वपाप (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) + क्षय (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष 'destruction of') + कर (तत्पुरुष 'making') = 'causing destruction of all sins'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhanada-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira; behind them flows the Narmadā with a clearly marked southern bank ford, a small Kubera shrine or emblem (money-pot, yakṣa attendants) indicating Dhanada-tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhanada (Kubera)
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to divinely marked tirthas—especially along the Narmadā—is upheld as a potent means of purification and moral renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhanada-tīrtha (Kubera’s tirtha) on the southern bank of the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is travel/pilgrimage (gacchet) to the tirtha for sarva-pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sins).