Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र गौतमेश्वरमुत्तमम् । सर्वपापहरं तीर्थं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchettu rājendra gautameśvaramuttamam | sarvapāpaharaṃ tīrthaṃ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam

Translation

มารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: “ข้าแต่ราชันผู้เป็นใหญ่แห่งกษัตริย์ทั้งหลาย ต่อจากนั้นพึงไปยังโคตเมศวรอันประเสริฐ—ทิรถะอันเลื่องลือในสามโลก ผู้ขจัดบาปทั้งปวง”

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Markandeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal sequence/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमवाचक/ततः = ‘then/thereafter’)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद; विधिः/आज्ञार्थः

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (singular); समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (‘राजानाम् इन्द्रः’)

• गौतमेश्वरम्: Gautameshvara (Lord of Gautama)
• गौतमेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘गौतमस्य ईश्वरः’)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण—‘गौतमेश्वरम्’ इति

• सर्वपापहरम्: removing all sins
• सर्वपापहरम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-पाप-हर (कृदन्त-समास; सर्व + पाप + हर (√हृ (धातु) + अच्/ण्वुल्-प्रायः agentive))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण—‘तीर्थम्’ इति; समासः तत्पुरुषः (सर्वाणि पापानि हरति)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object—implied ‘(one should go to) the tīrtha’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular)

• त्रिषु: in the three
• त्रिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक-प्रयोग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण—‘लोकेषु’ इति

• लोकेषु: worlds
• लोकेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन (plural)

• विश्रुतम्: renowned
• विश्रुतम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्रुत (कृदन्त; √श्रु (धातु) + क्त, उपसर्ग वि-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण—‘तीर्थम्’ इति

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on the route; a forested riverbank with a prominent Śiva-liṅga shrine labeled Gautameśvara; pilgrims approaching with offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Gautameśvara
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as dharma-practice: approaching a celebrated tīrtha is recommended as a means of purification and spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautameśvara Tīrtha (a Śaiva shrine-site) in the Revā Khaṇḍa itinerary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct prescription to visit (gacchet) Gautameśvara as part of the pilgrimage sequence.