Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तस्यैवानन्तरं पार्थ पुष्कलीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । तत्र तीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा ह्यश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tasyaivānantaraṃ pārtha puṣkalītīrthamuttamam | tatra tīrthe naraḥ snātvā hyaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

ศรีมารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ถัดจากนั้นทันที โอ้ปารถะ มีปุษกะลีตีรถะอันประเสริฐยิ่ง ผู้ใดอาบน้ำชำระในท่าน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้น ย่อมได้ผลบุญแห่งอัศวเมธยัญโดยแท้

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that (place/it)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Adhikarana (Temporal locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुष्कलीतीर्थम्: the Puṣkalī sacred ford
• पुष्कलीतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कली-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; पुष्कली + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier) of 'पुष्कलीतीर्थम्'

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Auxiliary action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

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

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध-फल (प्रातिपदिक; अश्वमेध + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkalī-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (O) Pārtha / Yudhiṣṭhira (context of Pāṇḍava inquiry)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on a riverbank; pilgrims descend stone steps to a calm ford; a small shrine and sacred trees nearby; the river glints like molten silver.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pārtha
• Puṣkalī Tīrtha
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha concentrates spiritual merit: simple snāna performed with faith can yield results equated with grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkalī Tīrtha, praised as an excellent sacred bathing place in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Puṣkalī Tīrtha, yielding Aśvamedha-equivalent merit.