Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

दर्भादिभिः परिवृतं मध्यपद्मार्कमंडलम् । सोममण्डलमध्यस्थं ध्यायेद्वै वह्निमंडलम्

Transliteration

darbhādibhiḥ parivṛtaṃ madhyapadmārkamaṃḍalam | somamaṇḍalamadhyasthaṃ dhyāyedvai vahnimaṃḍalam

Translation

ليتخيّل المرءُ ماندالا الشمس كزهرةِ لوتسٍ في الوسط، محاطةً بعشبِ الدَّربها وما شابهه من الطاهر؛ وفي مركزِ ماندالا القمر، ليتأمّل ماندالا النار المتألّقة.

Word by Word

• दर्भादिभिः: with darbha etc.
• दर्भादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘दर्भ-आदि’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासः (दर्भादयः)

• परिवृतम्: surrounded
• परिवृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि√वृ (धातु) → परिवृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• मध्यपद्मार्कमण्डलम्: the central lotus-sun disc
• मध्यपद्मार्कमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य + पद्म + अर्क + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः

• सोममण्डलमध्यस्थम्: situated in the middle of the moon-disc
• सोममण्डलमध्यस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सोम + मण्डल + मध्य + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘सोममण्डलस्य मध्ये स्थितम्’ इति तत्पुरुषसमासः; विशेषणम्

• ध्यायेत्: should meditate
• ध्यायेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• वह्निमण्डलम्: the fire-disc
• वह्निमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa) implied in nearby verses of the sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sanctum interior where the worshipper’s mind projects concentric maṇḍalas: a lotus-solar disc ringed with darbha, a cool lunar disc within, and a radiant fire-disc at the core, hovering above a liṅga altar.

Characters & Entities

• Darbha
• Sūrya-maṇḍala
• Soma-maṇḍala
• Vahni (Agni)-maṇḍala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship aligns the devotee with cosmic principles—sun, moon, and fire—internalized through disciplined visualization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on the meditative framework used in Shaiva ritual.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform maṇḍala-dhyāna: visualize solar, lunar, and fiery circles arranged in the prescribed inner order.