Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । स्वपुत्रिकामभिगन्तुमिच्छन्पूर्वं पितामहः । शप्तस्तु देवदेवेन कोपाविष्टेन सत्तम

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | svaputrikāmabhigantumicchanpūrvaṃ pitāmahaḥ | śaptastu devadevena kopāviṣṭena sattama

Translation

مارکنڈےیہ نے کہا: اے بہترین مرد! پہلے پِتامہ (برہما) اپنی ہی بیٹی کے قریب جانے کی خواہش رکھتا تھا؛ تب دیودیو، غضب میں بھر کر، اس پر لعنت یعنی شاپ صادر کر بیٹھا۔

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• sva-putrikām: his own daughter
• sva-putrikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + putrikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य पुत्रिका), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• abhigantum: to approach
• abhigantum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-gam (धातु) → abhigantum (तुमुन्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त: तुमुनन्त (infinitive)

• icchan: wishing
• icchan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣ (धातु) → icchant (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; agrees with pitāmahaḥ

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• pitāmahaḥ: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śaptaḥ: cursed
• śaptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śap (धातु) → śapta (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate of pitāmahaḥ

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/अवधारण-विरोधार्थ)

• devadevena: by the god of gods
• devadevena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां देवेन), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• kopāviṣṭena: possessed by anger
• kopāviṣṭena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kopa (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक/क्त)
• Form: समास: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय (कोपेन आविष्टः), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; agrees with devadevena

• sattama: O best of the good
• sattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + tama (तमप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; superlative address

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (implied future expiation locus)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: Brahmā, stirred by desire, moves toward his daughter; Śiva (devadeva) appears wrathful, poised to pronounce a curse; cosmic court atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Devadeva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest beings are accountable to dharma; wrongdoing draws divine correction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context is the Revā (Narmadā) region in the Revā Khaṇḍa, leading into the praise of a specific tīrtha associated with Pitāmaha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the narrative background (the curse) that frames the tīrtha’s later greatness.