Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9
ततोऽसौ मन्दरं ध्यात्वा चापे कृत्वा गुणे महीम् । विष्णुं सनातनं देवं बाणे ध्यात्वा त्रिलोचनः
tato'sau mandaraṃ dhyātvā cāpe kṛtvā guṇe mahīm | viṣṇuṃ sanātanaṃ devaṃ bāṇe dhyātvā trilocanaḥ
Darauf meditierte Trilocana (Śiva) den Mandara als Bogen und machte die Erde zur Sehne; und, den ewigen Gott Viṣṇu betrachtend, stellte er Ihn sich als Pfeil vor.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim-audience/ṛṣis (contextual)
Scene: Trilocana-Śiva in yogic concentration, envisioning Mount Mandara as a bow, the Earth as bowstring, and Viṣṇu as a radiant arrow—cosmic elements hovering as luminous archetypes.
FAQs
The cosmos itself becomes an instrument of dharma when aligned with divine intention—unity of powers restores order.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is mythic-cosmic imagery within Revā Khaṇḍa.
None; it describes a meditative consecration (dhyāna) of cosmic elements into divine weaponry.