Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तथा तीर्थकदम्बाश्च तेषु तीर्थविशेषतः । प्राधान्येन मया ख्याता यथासङ्ख्यं यथाक्रमम्

Transliteration

tathā tīrthakadambāśca teṣu tīrthaviśeṣataḥ | prādhānyena mayā khyātā yathāsaṅkhyaṃ yathākramam

Translation

同样，在那些圣地群中，独特的圣地（tirthas）已由我根据其重要性，按数量和顺序一一宣讲。

Word by Word

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (also, likewise)

• तीर्थ-कदम्बाः: clusters/groups of tīrthas
• तीर्थ-कदम्बाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + कदम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative): ‘तीर्थाणां कदम्बाः/समूहाः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तेषु: among them / in those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• तीर्थ-विशेषतः: specifically, in terms of tīrtha distinctions
• तीर्थ-विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + विशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्ययप्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-आधारित अव्यय (‘तीर्थविशेष’ + ‘तस्’); प्रकार/भेदवाचक अव्यय (in particular, by specific tīrthas)

• प्राधान्येन: by priority / chiefly
• प्राधान्येन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राधान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ख्याता: were proclaimed
• ख्याता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘(they) were declared/made known’

• यथा-सङ्ख्यम्: in due numerical order
• यथा-सङ्ख्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + सङ्ख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverb: according to number/sequence)

• यथा-क्रमम्: in proper order
• यथा-क्रमम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; अव्ययवत् (adverb: according to order)

Speaker

Vāyu (as narrator, reporting the tradition within Revā-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-kadamba (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic sacred map: the Narmadā river as a flowing garland with labeled tīrtha ‘clusters’, the narrator indicating order and primacy.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not random; tīrthas are to be approached with discernment, honoring their traditional order and relative spiritual prominence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse frames the greatness of the Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas collectively, preparing for a ranked, sequential listing of specific sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the instruction is methodological—knowing and following the correct order and priority of tīrthas.