Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । धौतपापं ततो गच्छेन्महापातकनाशनम् । समीपे चक्रतीर्थस्य विष्णुना निर्मितं पुरा

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | dhautapāpaṃ tato gacchenmahāpātakanāśanam | samīpe cakratīrthasya viṣṇunā nirmitaṃ purā

Translation

شری مارکنڈےیہ نے کہا: پھر گناہ دھو کر، بڑے بڑے پاتکوں کو مٹانے والے اس تیرتھ کی طرف جانا چاہیے، جو چکرتیرتھ کے قریب وِشنو نے قدیم زمانے میں قائم کیا تھا۔

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (उपपद/प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person singular

• धौतपापम्: (to) the sin-cleansed (place)
• धौतपापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धौत (धाव्/धौ धातु + क्त) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (धौतं पापं यस्य/धौतपापम्); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying an implied ‘तीर्थम्/स्थानम्’)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Apadana/Temporal (Source/sequence/अपादान-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ततः = ‘thereafter/from there’) — adverb

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunctive/prescriptive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Potential/Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person singular

• महापातकनाशनम्: the destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (नश् धातु + ल्युट्/अन)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (महापातकस्य नाशनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (apposition to implied object)

• समीपे: near
• समीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• चक्रतीर्थस्य: of Cakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चक्र-तीर्थ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive singular

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental singular

• निर्मितम्: constructed
• निर्मितम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + मि (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past participle ‘made/constructed’ (agreeing with implied neuter noun)

• पुरा: formerly/long ago
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — adverb of time ‘formerly’

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha (proximate reference) and a nearby Viṣṇu-established tīrtha (name not given in this verse)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya instructs pilgrims: after purification, go near Cakratīrtha to an ancient sacred place created by Viṣṇu; Viṣṇu’s discus symbolism (cakra) subtly marks the landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Cakratīrtha
• Viṣṇu
• Mahāpātaka-nāśana (tīrtha epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a progressive purification: after cleansing at one tīrtha, one proceeds to another famed for destroying even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha called/known as Mahāpātaka-nāśana, situated near Cakratīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prescribed movement in pilgrimage: after purification, one should go (gacchet) to the next tīrtha renowned for destroying major sins.