Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2
मृकण्डो ब्राह्मणोनाम पुराऽसीच्छंसितव्रतः । अन्ते वयसि संजातस्तस्य पुत्रोऽतिसुन्दरः
mṛkaṇḍo brāhmaṇonāma purā'sīcchaṃsitavrataḥ | ante vayasi saṃjātastasya putro'tisundaraḥ
There once was a brāhmaṇa named Mṛkaṇḍu, steadfast in his praised vows. In his later years, a son was born to him—exceedingly handsome.
Pulastya (continuing narration)
Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama
Type: kshetra
Listener: A king
Scene: Aged brāhmaṇa Mṛkaṇḍu and his wife receive a beautiful child; the hermitage is calm, with ritual vessels and a small sacred fire; the infant glows with auspicious marks.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma honors disciplined vows (vrata) as a source of blessings, including progeny and spiritual merit.
No new tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets up the Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama context introduced earlier.
None explicitly; the verse praises the quality of vrata (vowed discipline).