Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तेनैवमुक्ते सहसा कृत्वा भूमण्डलं द्विधा । निःसृतौ शूलमूलाग्राल्लिङ्गार्चाप्रतिरूपिणौ

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tenaivamukte sahasā kṛtvā bhūmaṇḍalaṃ dvidhā | niḥsṛtau śūlamūlāgrālliṅgārcāpratirūpiṇau

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : À ces paroles, soudain la surface de la terre se fendit en deux ; et de la base et de la pointe du trident jaillirent, comme les formes mêmes du culte du liṅga, deux manifestations divines.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tena: by him / by that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक-सम्भव (contextual)

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• ukte: when (it was) said
• ukte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; √vac वच्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (suddenly/at once)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• bhū-maṇḍalam: the earth-circle / ground
• bhū-maṇḍalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भूमेः मण्डलम्)

• dvidhā: into two
• dvidhā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dvidhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in two parts)

• niḥsṛtau: came forth / emerged (two)
• niḥsṛtau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥsṛta (कृदन्त; √sṛ सृ)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषण (द्वौ)

• śūla-mūla-agrāt: from the base-tip (region) of the trident
• śūla-mūla-agrāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अग्रात्)

• liṅga-arcā-pratirūpiṇau: resembling the worship of the liṅga
• liṅga-arcā-pratirūpiṇau: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + arcā (प्रातिपदिक) + pratirūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (लिङ्गस्य अर्चायाः प्रतिरूपिणौ); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषण (niḥsṛtau)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triśūla-mūla/agra-udbhava-sthāna (Revā-khaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: the earth cleaves instantly; from the trident’s root and tip emerge two divine forms resembling liṅga-worship embodiments, radiant and newly revealed.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śūla (Trident)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence can manifest instantly when invoked with truth—Śaiva worship is affirmed as a direct, living revelation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), introducing a local Śaiva manifestation linked to Śūla and liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse establishes the emergence of liṅga-arcā (liṅga-worship) as the sacred focus.