Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1
मार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महीपाल चन्द्रहासमतः परम् । यत्र सिद्धिं परां प्राप्तः सोमराजः सुरोत्तमः
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato gacchenmahīpāla candrahāsamataḥ param | yatra siddhiṃ parāṃ prāptaḥ somarājaḥ surottamaḥ
മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹീപാലാ! തുടർന്ന് ചന്ദ്രഹാസമതത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മുന്നോട്ട് ചെന്നു, ദേവോത്തമനായ സോമരാജൻ പരമസിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ച സ്ഥലത്തെത്തുക.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Soma-siddhi-sthāna (site where Somarāja attained parā-siddhi)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahīpāla (king) / Yudhiṣṭhira (dialogue frame continues in next verse)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs the king on a riverbank route: a pilgrim party poised to depart from a shrine labeled Candra-hāsa-mata, pointing toward a luminous grove/temple where the Moon-god’s siddhi is commemorated.
FAQs
The Purāṇa frames pilgrimage as a progressive journey through siddhi-bearing sacred places, guided by revered sages.
Candra-hāsa-mata is named as a reference point, and another site is indicated as the place where Somarāja attained supreme siddhi.
A yātrā injunction is given—“one should go” onward to the siddhi-sthāna; specific rites are not detailed in this verse.