Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

उत्तानपाद उवाच । माहात्म्यं तीर्थजं दृष्ट्वा चित्रसेनो नरेश्वरः । किं चकार क्व वा वासं किमाहारो बभूव ह

Transliteration

uttānapāda uvāca | māhātmyaṃ tīrthajaṃ dṛṣṭvā citraseno nareśvaraḥ | kiṃ cakāra kva vā vāsaṃ kimāhāro babhūva ha

Translation

อุตตานปาทะกล่าวว่า “ครั้นได้เห็นมหิมาอันบังเกิดจากทิรถะแล้ว พระเจ้าจิตรเสนผู้เป็นนเรศวรได้กระทำสิ่งใด? พระองค์ประทับอยู่ที่ใด และทรงยังชีพด้วยอาหารใด?”

Word by Word

• उत्तानपादः: Uttānapāda
• उत्तानपादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तानपाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (उत्तानौ पादौ यस्य) नाम

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness/glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तीर्थजम्: arising from the tīrtha
• तीर्थजम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थात् जातम्) विशेषणम् (of माहात्म्यम्)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक (having seen)

• चित्रसेनः: Citrasena
• चित्रसेनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नरेश्वरः: lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वरः: Apposition (Same referent/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• चकार: did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• क्व: where
• क्व: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or/indeed)

• वासम्: dwelling/residence
• वासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• आहारः: food/diet
• आहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बभूव: was/became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्मरण/वाक्यालङ्कारार्थक (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Uttānapāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed tīrtha in Revā-khaṇḍa episode (leading to Bhṛgutuṅga-kuṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (respondent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Uttānapāda respectfully questions Īśvara about Citrasena’s actions after witnessing the tīrtha’s greatness—an inquisitive courtly-sage dialogue.

Characters & Entities

• Uttānapāda
• Citrasena
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha-māhātmya is verified by transformation—how one lives, dwells, and disciplines one’s sustenance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The question points to a tīrtha connected to the Revā Khaṇḍa (Revā/Narmadā region), though the exact tīrtha name is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse introduces inquiry into tapas, residence (vāsa), and regulated diet (āhāra).