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

马尔坎德耶说道：大王，请听我宣说。为他人之故而启程者，其朝圣之行及相关仪轨的果报，将如何、并在何等程度上被规定，我当为你说明。

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).