Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । परार्थं गच्छतस्तन्मे वदतः शृणु पार्थिव । यथा यावत्फलं तस्य यात्रादिविहितं भवेत्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | parārthaṃ gacchatastanme vadataḥ śṛṇu pārthiva | yathā yāvatphalaṃ tasya yātrādivihitaṃ bhavet

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya đáp: Tâu đại vương, xin lắng nghe; ta sẽ nói về người lên đường vì người khác—quả phúc của cuộc hành hương đến tīrtha và các nghi thức liên hệ được định lập thế nào, và đến mức độ nào.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; speaker

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• परार्थम्: for others’ benefit
• परार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परार्थ (प्रातिपदिक; पर + अर्थ)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन; adverbial accusative ‘for others’ sake’

• गच्छतः: of one who goes
• गच्छतः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘of one who goes’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘that’ (the answer)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन; enclitic dative ‘to me’

• वदतः: as I speak; of (me) speaking
• वदतः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘of (me) speaking’ (genitive absolute-like)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; address

• यथा: as; in the manner that
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/adverb), ‘as/in what manner’

• यावत्: as much as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-स्वरूप)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative), ‘as much as/so far as’

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘of that (person/act)’

• यात्रादि: pilgrimage and the like
• यात्रादि: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; यात्रा + आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; here as compound member ‘pilgrimage etc.’

• विहितम्: prescribed
• विहितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विहित (कृदन्त; वि + √धा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past passive participle ‘prescribed/ordained’; agrees with ‘फलम्’

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘may be/would be’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: परार्थ-यात्रा-फल-निर्णय (to be detailed)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya raises his hand in teaching gesture, promising a precise account of the ordained fruits of proxy pilgrimage; the king listens attentively.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma regarding pilgrimage has specific ordinances; merit is not vague but described with rules based on intention and prescribed practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a general exposition on tīrtha practice, situated within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It signals forthcoming prescriptions about ‘pilgrimage and allied rites’ (yātrā-ādi) when done parārtha (for another).