Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । कथयामि नृपश्रेष्ठ आनन्देश्वरमुत्तमम् । दानवानां वधं कृत्वा देवदेवो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | kathayāmi nṛpaśreṣṭha ānandeśvaramuttamam | dānavānāṃ vadhaṃ kṛtvā devadevo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Hỡi bậc vua tối thượng, ta sẽ kể về Ānandeśvara cao quý. Sau khi diệt các Dānava, Maheśvara—Đấng Thần của chư thần—(đã hiển lộ vinh quang ấy).

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मार्कण्डेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कथयामि: I describe; I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; णिजन्त causative of कथ्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• आनन्देश्वरम्: Ānandeśvara
• आनन्देश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; आनन्द + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) आनन्देश्वरम्-शब्दस्य

• दानवानाम्: of the Dānavas (demons)
• दानवानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वधम्: slaying; killing
• वधम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done; after doing
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• देवदेवः: God of gods
• देवदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-देव (प्रातिपदिक; देव + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Great Lord)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मह-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महत्/महā + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; देवदेवः-इति समानाधिकरण

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins the origin: Maheśvara, after slaying Dānavas, becomes the source of Ānandeśvara’s glory; the scene can juxtapose a subdued battlefield with a serene Śiva presence near a riverbank shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Ānandeśvara
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Dānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are anchored in divine acts that restore dharma; the tīrtha’s sanctity is tied to Śiva’s victory over adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it begins the origin narrative explaining the tīrtha’s greatness.