Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सावित्र्याः पूर्वभागे तु नातिदूरे व्यवस्थितम् । महर्षिरभवत्पूर्वं मार्कण्डेय इति श्रुतः

Transliteration

sāvitryāḥ pūrvabhāge tu nātidūre vyavasthitam | maharṣirabhavatpūrvaṃ mārkaṇḍeya iti śrutaḥ

Translation

Es liegt nicht fern, auf der Ostseite von Sāvitrī. Einst gab es dort einen großen ṛṣi, berühmt unter dem Namen Mārkaṇḍeya.

Word by Word

• सावित्र्याः: of Sāvitrī
• सावित्र्याः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• पूर्व-भागे: in the eastern part
• पूर्व-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• नातिदूरे: not very far (away)
• नातिदूरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न + अति + दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; सप्तमी-अर्थे (locative sense)

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated; located
• व्यवस्थितम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महर्षिः: the great sage
• महर्षिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• अभवत्: was; became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पूर्वम्: formerly; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative particle)

• श्रुतः: was heard/known (as)
• श्रुतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāvitrī (adjacent landmark) / Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara (target shrine)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cartographic-ritual vignette: the narrator points out that Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara is not far, to the east of Sāvitrī; a cameo of the ancient sage Mārkaṇḍeya appears as a revered figure, linking place and person.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are anchored in the lives of ṛṣis; remembering them sacralizes the pilgrim’s route.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sāvitrī and the nearby Mārkaṇḍeya-associated site within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A location cue for pilgrims: the site is near, to the east of Sāvitrī.