Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

त्रयोदश्यां ततो गत्वा मदनाख्यतिथौ तदा । मार्कण्डस्य ह्रदे स्नात्वानर्च्य देवं गुहाशयम्

Transliteration

trayodaśyāṃ tato gatvā madanākhyatithau tadā | mārkaṇḍasya hrade snātvānarcya devaṃ guhāśayam

Translation

“Then, on the thirteenth lunar day—on the date known as Madana—she went and bathed in Mārkaṇḍa’s lake, and worshipped the God who dwells in the cave.”

Word by Word

• त्रयोदश्याम्: on the thirteenth (tithi)
• त्रयोदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयोदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (on the thirteenth lunar day)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adverbial (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (then/thereafter)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive); ‘having gone’

• मदनाख्यतिथौ: on the tithi called Madana
• मदनाख्यतिथौ: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदन + आख्य + तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; ‘मदन-आख्या तिथिः’ (the tithi called Madana)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adverbial (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then/at that time)

• मार्कण्डस्य: of Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• ह्रदे: in the lake
• ह्रदे: Adhikarana (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; स्थानाधिकरण (in the lake)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive); ‘having bathed’

• अनर्च्य: having worshipped
• अनर्च्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अन् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (ल्यप्) अव्यय; ‘having worshipped’

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• गुहाशयम्: dwelling in the cave
• गुहाशयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुहा + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘गुहायाम् आशयः’ (dwelling in a cave)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍa-hrada

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhānumatī travels on Trayodaśī to Mārkaṇḍa’s lake, performs a reverent bath, then approaches a cave shrine to worship the hidden, cave-dwelling God.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍa-hrada
• guhāśaya deva (cave-dwelling deity)
• Trayodaśī
• Madana-tithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage practice unites sacred time (tithi), sacred water (hrada-snān), and focused worship of the resident deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mārkaṇḍa’s lake (Mārkaṇḍa-hrada) and a nearby cave-shrine of the deity described as guhāśaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at Mārkaṇḍa-hrada on Trayodaśī and performing worship (arcana) of the cave-dwelling deity.