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

ನಂತರ ತ್ರಯೋದಶಿಯಂದು, ಮದನವೆಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವ ತಿಥಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಅವಳು ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋದಳು. ಮಾರ್ಕಂಡ ಹ್ರದದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡಿ ಗುಹಾವಾಸಿ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಆರಾಧಿಸಿದಳು.

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.