Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेयः पुरा देवि प्रार्थयामास शंकरम् । सदाशिव महादेव देवदेव जगत्पते

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeyaḥ purā devi prārthayāmāsa śaṃkaram | sadāśiva mahādeva devadeva jagatpate

Translation

Ô Déesse, jadis Mārkaṇḍeya pria Śaṅkara : «Sadāśiva, Mahādeva, Dieu des dieux, Seigneur de l’univers !»

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• प्रार्थयामास: entreated/prayed to
• प्रार्थयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√arth (अर्थ् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘he entreated/prayed’

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• सदाशिव: O Sadāśiva
• सदाशिव: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadāśiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महान् देवः

• देवदेव: O God of gods
• देवदेव: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—देवानां देवः

• जगत्पते: O Lord of the world
• जगत्पते: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—जगतः पतिः

Speaker

Narrator (contextually: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa; addressing ‘Devi’ within the recitation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya with matted locks and kamaṇḍalu stands in añjali before an unseen or subtly manifested Śiva presence; the sacred hill looms behind, suggesting the deity’s immanence in Aruṇācala.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Sadāśiva
• Mahādeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti begins with surrender: addressing Śiva by His cosmic names affirms Him as the refuge beyond fear, time, and limitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse transitions from tīrtha descriptions to a Śaiva prayer within the Arunācala context, implicitly tying devotion to the Arunācala sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A stotra-like invocation (prayer) is given; no dāna or snāna is specified in this verse.