Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6
मार्कण्डेय उवाच । बभूव ब्राह्मणः कश्चिन्माण्डव्य इति विश्रुतः । वृत्तिमान्सर्वधर्मज्ञः सत्ये तपसि च स्थितः
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | babhūva brāhmaṇaḥ kaścinmāṇḍavya iti viśrutaḥ | vṛttimānsarvadharmajñaḥ satye tapasi ca sthitaḥ
മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ‘മാണ്ഡവ്യ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധനായ ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അദ്ദേഹം സദാചാരസമ്പന്നൻ, സർവ്വധർമ്മജ്ഞൻ, സത്യത്തിലും തപസ്സിലും ദൃഢസ്ഥിതനായിരുന്നു।
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins the backstory: a renowned brāhmaṇa named Māṇḍavya, steadfast in truth and austerity, is introduced as the central figure.
FAQs
The tīrtha narrative is anchored in exemplars of dharma—truthfulness and austerity are presented as the spiritual capital that shapes sacred history.
The verse begins the backstory that will explain Śūla-tīrtha/Bhadrakālī-saṅgama’s fame on the Narmadā.
No direct ritual is prescribed; it introduces a dharmic character whose life frames the forthcoming tīrtha-māhātmya.