Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततः क्रोशान्तरे गच्छेत्तिलादं तीर्थमुत्तमम् । तिलप्राशनकृद्यत्र जाबालिः शुद्धिमाप्तवान्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tataḥ krośāntare gacchettilādaṃ tīrthamuttamam | tilaprāśanakṛdyatra jābāliḥ śuddhimāptavān

Translation

ศรีมารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนั้น เมื่อไปได้ระยะหนึ่งโกรศะ พึงไปยังทิรถะอันประเสริฐชื่อทิลาดา ที่นั่นชาบาลีได้ความบริสุทธิ์ด้วยพิธีการกินงา

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमार्थक-अव्यय (then/from there)

• क्रोशान्तरे: within a krośa (distance)
• क्रोशान्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोश (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणम्; तत्पुरुषः (क्रोशस्य अन्तरम्)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √गम् (to go)

• तिलादम्: to Tilāda (tīrtha)
• तिलादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलाद (प्रातिपदिक; तीर्थ-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गमनकर्मणि कर्म (destination as object)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Apposition (Samanadhikarana/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तिलादम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणार्थे समनाधिकरण-भावः

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—तीर्थम् प्रति

• तिलप्राशनकृत्: one who performed sesame-eating
• तिलप्राशनकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राशन (प्रातिपदिक; √अश्/प्र-आश्) + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तिलस्य प्राशनं कृतवान्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• जाबालिः: Jābāli
• जाबालिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाबालि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• शुद्धिम्: purity
• शुद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• आप्तवान्: obtained
• आप्तवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु) + क्तवत् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; √आप् (to obtain)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tilāda

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed elsewhere as nṛpa) within the Revā Khaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya points the way along the river route; pilgrims walk a krośa to a ford named Tilāda. At the ghāṭ, a penitent Jābāli performs tila-prāśana with cupped hands, with the river flowing beside and a small shrine or marker-stone indicating the tīrtha name.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Tilāda Tīrtha
• Jābāli
• Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain tīrthas are celebrated as places where even difficult impurities are removed through prescribed rites and sincere intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tilāda Tīrtha, reached after one krośa, renowned for purification associated with sesame (tila).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to Tilāda Tīrtha and the rite connected with tilaprāśana (eating sesame as a purificatory observance).