Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कोऽप्यत्र विधिरुद्दिष्टः पतने ऋषिसत्तम । एतन्मे सर्वमाचक्ष्व संशयोऽस्ति महामुने

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ko'pyatra vidhiruddiṣṭaḥ patane ṛṣisattama | etanme sarvamācakṣva saṃśayo'sti mahāmune

Translation

ยุธิษฐิระกล่าวว่า “โอ้ฤๅษีผู้ประเสริฐ มีวิธีบัญญัติใดกล่าวไว้ที่นี่เกี่ยวกับการปตนะ (การตก) หรือไม่? โปรดบอกข้าพเจ้าทั้งหมดโดยพิสดารเถิด โอ้มหามุนี เพราะความสงสัยได้เกิดขึ้นในใจข้าพเจ้า”

Word by Word

• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (perfect, 3rd sg)

• kaḥ: what? which?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• api: even; any; indeed
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अपि-प्रयोग (particle: 'even/indeed/any')

• atra: here; in this context
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• vidhiḥ: rule; procedure
• vidhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• uddiṣṭaḥ: indicated; prescribed
• uddiṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-diś (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (past passive participle)

• patane: in falling; at the time of descent/fall
• patane: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (neuter loc sg)

• ṛṣisattama: O best of sages
• ṛṣisattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi + sattama (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'of sages, best'); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masc voc sg)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• me: my; to me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (gen sg: 'of me/my')

• sarvam: all; entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter acc sg)

• ācakṣva: tell; explain
• ācakṣva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-cakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (imperative, 2nd sg)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• asti: is; exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (present, 3rd sg)

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masc voc sg)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, humble and earnest, questions the aged sage Mārkaṇḍeya seated near a riverbank hermitage; the atmosphere is serious, with scrolls/kuśa grass and ritual vessels present.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Mārkaṇḍeya (implied as respondent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not guesswork: sacred acts should be approached through proper injunction (vidhi) and clarified doubt.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Revā (Narmadā) sacred geography in the Āvantya Khaṇḍa, leading into Jvāleśvara-Tīrtha later in the adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse itself asks for the prescription; the detailed ritual is given in the following verses.