Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल तापेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । यत्र सा हरिणी सिद्धा व्याधभीता नरेश्वर

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla tāpeśvaramanuttamam | yatra sā hariṇī siddhā vyādhabhītā nareśvara

Translation

ศรีมารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนั้น โอ้ผู้พิทักษ์แผ่นดิน พึงไปยังตาเปศวรอันยอดยิ่ง—สถานที่ซึ่งนางกวางนั้นบรรลุสิทธิ เพราะหวาดกลัวนายพราน โอ้พระราชา

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: revered Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः (उपाधि-पूर्वक कर्मधारय)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय, तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः—अवधारण/अनन्तर्य (thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; आदेश/विधानार्थ

• महीपाल: O king (protector of the earth)
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• तापेश्वरम्: Tāpeśvara (the Lord of austerity)
• तापेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तापानाम् ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) / ‘Lord of austerity’ (स्थल/देवता-नाम)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘तापेश्वरम्’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्ध-प्रश्न/यत्-प्रत्यय (relative adverb)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हरिणी: a doe
• हरिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मृगी’

• सिद्धा: accomplished; perfected
• सिद्धा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (कृदन्त, √सिध् ‘to succeed/be accomplished’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘हरिणी’

• व्याधभीता: afraid of the hunter
• व्याधभीता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याध (प्रातिपदिक) + भीत (कृदन्त, √भी ‘to fear’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—व्याधात् भीता (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष)

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; समासः—नराणाम् ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tāpeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla/nareśvara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs the king to proceed to Tāpeśvara; in the background, a doe near a waterbody and a hunter with bow, foreshadowing the miracle; a Śiva-liṅga shrine stands serene.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Tāpeśvara
• Hariṇī (doe)
• Vyādha (hunter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even fear and crisis can become the doorway to spiritual accomplishment when it leads to a sacred locus and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tāpeśvara, presented as an unsurpassed Śaiva tīrtha in the Reva Khaṇḍa pilgrimage sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general prescription of pilgrimage: ‘one should go’ to Tāpeśvara; specific rites are not detailed in this verse.