Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। श्री मार्कण्डेय उवाच । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि सा विशल्या ह्यभूद्यथा । आश्चर्यभूता लोकस्य सर्वपापक्षयंकरी

Transliteration

| śrī mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi sā viśalyā hyabhūdyathā | āścaryabhūtā lokasya sarvapāpakṣayaṃkarī

Translation

ศรีมารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนี้เราจักพรรณนาว่า สิ่งศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้นเป็นที่รู้จักว่า ‘วิศัลยา’ ได้อย่างไร—เป็นอัศจรรย์แก่โลก และเป็นผู้ทำลายบาปทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• śrī: venerable, revered
• śrī: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (अव्ययवत् उपाधि), प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्मानसूचक उपपद

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ataḥ: therefore, hence
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थे/तस्मात्-अर्थे

• param: next, further
• param: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे 'next/further'

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sā: she/that (woman/river)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• viśalyā: Viśalyā (arrow-free/healed)
• viśalyā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśalyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'free from arrow/foreign body; healed'

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक निपात

• abhūt: became, was
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yathā: how, in what manner
• yathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यथार्थे/प्रकारवाचक

• āścarya-bhūtā: having become wondrous
• āścarya-bhūtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (√bhū + क्त)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त) 'having become a wonder'

• lokasya: of the world/people
• lokasya: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• sarva-pāpa-kṣayaṃ-karī: causing the destruction of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-kṣayaṃ-karī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + √kṛ (धातु) + -in (णिनि)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (सर्वपापानां क्षयं करोति इति), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त (णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśalyā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya sits in a forest-hermitage near a sacred riverbank, addressing attentive listeners; behind him a luminous spot/altar hints at the ‘Viśalyā’ power that removes all sins.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Viśalyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred places are presented as divinely empowered means for the eradication of sin and renewal of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśalyā is introduced as a wondrous, sin-destroying sacred power/place (tīrtha or kṣetra) whose origin will be narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated in this opening; it announces the forthcoming māhātmya explaining Viśalyā’s power.