Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । स्कन्देन निर्मितं पूर्वं तपः कृत्वा सुदारुणम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | skandena nirmitaṃ pūrvaṃ tapaḥ kṛtvā sudāruṇam

Translation

ศรีมารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ณ ฝั่งใต้แห่งแม่น้ำนรมทา มีทิรถะอันรุ่งเรืองยิ่งนัก ซึ่งพระสกันทะได้สร้างไว้แต่กาลก่อน หลังบำเพ็ญตบะอันเข้มกล้า

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधन-रहितः कर्तृपद-प्रयोगः

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नर्मदायाः: of the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कूले इति)

• कूले: bank
• कूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (उक्त-वस्तु)

• परमशोभनम्: supremely beautiful
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक; परम + शोभन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम् इति)

• स्कन्देन: by Skanda
• स्कन्देन: Karana/Agent-Instrument (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• निर्मितम्: constructed/created
• निर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (तीर्थम् इति) विशेषण-रूपेण

• पूर्वम्: formerly/earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• सुदारुणम्: very severe
• सुदारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दारुण (प्रातिपदिक; सु + दारुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः इति)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the lush southern bank of the Narmadā, a radiant tīrtha manifests—marked by simple stone steps/ford—while Skanda’s past austerity is evoked as a luminous aura over the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Skanda
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places gain sanctity through divine tapas and establishment; pilgrimage is grounded in the spiritual power of austerity and divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A splendid tīrtha on the southern bank of the Narmadā, said to be founded by Skanda.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it introduces the tīrtha’s origin through Skanda’s tapas.