Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पाण्डुतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्सर्वपापविनाशनम् । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्मुच्यते सर्वकिल्बिषैः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | pāṇḍutīrthaṃ tato gacchetsarvapāpavināśanam | tatra snātvā naro rājanmucyate sarvakilbiṣaiḥ

Translation

مارکنڈیہ نے کہا: اس کے بعد پانڈوتیرتھ جانا چاہیے جو تمام گناہوں کا ناس کرنے والا ہے۔ اے راجن، وہاں غسل کرنے سے انسان ہر طرح کی آلودگیِ گناہ سے چھوٹ جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• pāṇḍu-tīrtham: Pāṇḍu-tīrtha (the sacred ford named Pāṇḍu)
• pāṇḍu-tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• tataḥ: then, from there
• tataḥ: Apādāna/Sequence (Source/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय ("from there/then")

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; विध्यर्थे (one should go)

• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (pāṇḍutīrtham इति)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyā (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having bathed)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• mucyate: is freed
• mucyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (Passive), आत्मनेपदम्

• sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: from all sins/offences
• sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: Apādāna (Ablatival-instrumental usage)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kilbiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; अपादानार्थे ("from all sins")

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāṇḍutīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, the sage, instructs a king; in the background pilgrims descend stone steps to a riverbank tīrtha labeled Pāṇḍutīrtha, performing snāna with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pāṇḍutīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage undertaken with faith, especially sacred bathing, is portrayed as a powerful means of purification from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāṇḍutīrtha, praised as a sin-destroying tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Pāṇḍutīrtha for removal of pāpa (sin) and kilbiṣa (moral impurity).