Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 134

Devanagari script

समन्ताद्योजनं तीर्थं पुण्यं ह्यमरकण्टकम् । रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतं तेन तत्पुण्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

samantādyojanaṃ tīrthaṃ puṇyaṃ hyamarakaṇṭakam | rudrakoṭisamopetaṃ tena tatpuṇyamuttamam

Translation

امَرکنٹک چاروں سمت ایک یوجن تک پھیلا ہوا مقدّس تیرتھ ہے؛ یہ کروڑوں رُدروں سے مزیّن ہے، اسی لیے اس کا پُنّیہ سب سے اُتم اور بے مثال ہے۔

Word by Word

• समन्तात्: on all sides, all around
• समन्तात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘on all sides/around’

• योजनम्: a yojana (measure of distance)
• योजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place, sacred ford
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) of ‘तीर्थम्’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): निश्चय/हेतु (indeed/for)

• अमरकण्टकम्: Amarakaṇṭaka (place-name)
• अमरकण्टकम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara + kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास (determinative): ‘अमराणां कण्टकः/कण्टकम्’ (name)

• रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतम्: endowed with (the presence of) crores of Rudras
• रुद्रकोटिसमोपेतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudra + koṭi + sam + upeta (उपेत-प्रातिपदिक; √i (धातु) with उपसर्ग sam+upa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘उपेत’ = endowed/attended; समास: ‘रुद्रकोट्या समोपेतम्’ (instrumental-tatpurusha sense) qualifying ‘तीर्थम्/अमरकण्टकम्’

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative) of ‘पुण्यम्’

• पुण्यम्: merit, sacredness
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme, excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘पुण्यम्’

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amarkaṇṭaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide sacred mountain landscape marked as a one-yojana tīrtha-mandala; countless subtle Rudra forms (liṅgas, tridents, ash-smeared ascetics, fiery halos) permeate groves and springs; pilgrims bathe and offer bilva leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Amarkaṇṭaka
• Rudra
• Tīrtha
• Yojana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage geography is not merely physical—Amarkaṇṭaka is portrayed as a vast Śaiva sacred field filled with Rudra-presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Amarkaṇṭaka (Amarkantak), praised as an expansive tīrtha-region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting and revering the entire Amarkaṇṭaka tīrtha-kṣetra, not only a single shrine.