Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

लक्षाष्टकं सहस्रे द्वे शुक्लतीर्थे द्विजोत्तमाः । तीर्थानि कथयामास पुरा पार्थाय भार्गवः

Transliteration

lakṣāṣṭakaṃ sahasre dve śuklatīrthe dvijottamāḥ | tīrthāni kathayāmāsa purā pārthāya bhārgavaḥ

Translation

اے برہمنوں میں افضل! شُکل تیرتھ میں بھارگو نے قدیم زمانے میں پارتھ سے آٹھ لاکھ اور دو ہزار تیرتھوں کا بیان کیا تھا۔

Word by Word

• लक्षाष्टकम्: eight lakhs
• लक्षाष्टकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष + अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्या-शब्द; ‘लक्षाणाम् अष्टकम्’ (= eight lakhs)

• सहस्रे: in (terms of) thousands
• सहस्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (in thousands)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; संख्या-विशेषण (qualifying ‘सहस्रे’)

• शुक्लतीर्थे: at Śukla-tīrtha
• शुक्लतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/विषय (addressing ‘best of twice-born’)

• तीर्थानि: tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्म

• कथयामास: narrated
• कथयामास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; √कथ् causative)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘told/narrated’

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• पार्थाय: to Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान (dative)

• भार्गवः: Bhārgava (descendant of Bhṛgu)
• भार्गवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता

Speaker

Narrative voice referencing Bhārgava; within the Revā Māhātmya context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija audience addressed (‘dvijottamāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhārgava (Paraśurāma-like) with matted hair and axe, seated on a riverbank, instructing Pārtha (Arjuna) in royal attire; behind them the luminous ‘Śukla-tīrtha’ ghat with countless small tīrtha markers/shrines fading into the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Śukla-tīrtha
• Bhārgava
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tradition magnifies Revā’s sanctity by vast enumeration, presenting pilgrimage as a path of accumulated merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śukla-tīrtha is singled out as a locus where innumerable tīrthas are taught and remembered.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the emphasis is on the authoritative transmission of tīrtha-mahātmyas.