Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततः क्रोशान्तरे पुण्यं तीर्थं तद्विमलेश्वरम् । यत्र स्नानेन दानेन जपहोमार्चनादिभिः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tataḥ krośāntare puṇyaṃ tīrthaṃ tadvimaleśvaram | yatra snānena dānena japahomārcanādibhiḥ

Translation

มารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนั้น ในระยะหนึ่งโกรศะ มีทีรถะอันเป็นบุญชื่อวิมเลศวร ที่ซึ่งด้วยการอาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ การให้ทาน และด้วยการปฏิบัติอย่างชปะ โหมะ อรจนะเป็นต้น—

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: देश/क्रम-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from there/thereafter)

• क्रोशान्तरे: within a krośa-distance; in the interval of a krośa
• क्रोशान्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोश + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्रोशस्य अन्तरे)

• पुण्यम्: holy; meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter pronoun, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• विमलेश्वरम्: Vimaleśvara (the ‘Stainless Lord’)
• विमलेश्वरम्: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom./Acc., Singular); कर्मधारयः (विमलः ईश्वरः)

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

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• दानेन: by giving; by donation
• दानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• जपहोमार्चनादिभिः: by japa, homa, worship, etc.
• जपहोमार्चनादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप + होम + अर्चन + आदि (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural); समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (जपः, होमः, अर्चनम् इत्यादि)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vimaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (kingly interlocutor in Revā Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim party walks one krośa along the riverbank to a clean, luminous ford and a liṅga-shrine named Vimaleśvara; scenes show bathing, giving alms, japa with rudrākṣa, a small homa fire, and flower-offering at the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Vimaleśvara
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes a complete path when pilgrimage is joined with disciplined worship—snāna, dāna, japa, homa, and arcana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vimaleśvara Tīrtha, introduced as a nearby sacred destination within the Revā Khaṇḍa itinerary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), dāna (charity), japa, homa, and arcana (pūjā).