Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

महालये महाभागा पयोष्ण्यां पिङ्गलेश्वरी । सिंहिका कृतशौचे तु कर्तिके चैव शांकरी

Transliteration

mahālaye mahābhāgā payoṣṇyāṃ piṅgaleśvarī | siṃhikā kṛtaśauce tu kartike caiva śāṃkarī

Translation

മഹാലയത്തിൽ അവൾ ‘മഹാഭാഗാ’, പയോഷ്ണീ നദീതീരത്ത് ‘പിംഗലേശ്വരീ’; കൃതശൗചത്തിൽ ‘സിംഹികാ’യും കാർത്തിക തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ തീർച്ചയായും ‘ശാങ്കരീ’യുമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• महालये: at Mahālaya
• महालये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (स्थाननाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• महाभागा: Mahābhāgā (name)
• महाभागा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभागा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम/विशेषणरूप-नाम

• पयोष्ण्याम्: in/on the Payoṣṇī (river)
• पयोष्ण्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयोष्णी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी/स्थानवाचक

• पिङ्गलेश्वरी: Piṅgaleśvarī (name)
• पिङ्गलेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिङ्गल + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिङ्गलस्य/पिङ्गलाया ईश्वरी)

• सिंहिका: Siṃhikā (name)
• सिंहिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंहिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• कृतशौचे: at Kṛtaśauca (place)
• कृतशौचे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत + शौच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-स्थाननाम (कृतं शौचं यस्मिन्/कृतशौचः)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• कर्तिके: at Kārtika (place)
• कर्तिके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (स्थान/मास-नाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• च: and
• च: Discourse connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction ‘and’)

• एव: indeed/also
• एव: Discourse particle (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (particle ‘only/indeed’)

• शांकरी: Śāṃkarī (name)
• शांकरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर + ई (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शंकरसम्बन्धिनी (name/epithet of Devī)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahālaya; Payoṣṇī-tīra; Kṛtaśauca; Kārtika-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverbank on Payoṣṇī with dawn light; Devi Piṅgaleśvarī in golden hue; at Kṛtaśauca a lion-associated Devi Siṃhikā stands guard; at Mahālaya Devi Mahābhāgā bestows boons; at Kārtika-tīrtha Devi Śāṃkarī appears beside a liṅga, uniting Śiva and Śakti.

Characters & Entities

• Mahālaya
• Mahābhāgā
• Payoṣṇī
• Piṅgaleśvarī
• Kṛtaśauca
• Siṃhikā
• Kārtika
• Śāṃkarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity, auspiciousness, and Śaiva power are localized through tīrthas—each place becomes a doorway to the same Supreme Śakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahālaya, the Payoṣṇī river, Kṛtaśauca, and Kārtika-tīrtha are named as sites of Devī’s special presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct instruction appears; the names imply tīrtha-related purity (śauca) and worship aligned with Śaṅkara (Śāṃkarī).