Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

गुहामध्यं प्रविष्टोऽसौ योगाभ्यासमुपाश्रितः । लिङ्गं तु स्थापितं तेन मार्कण्डेश्वरसंज्ञितम्

Transliteration

guhāmadhyaṃ praviṣṭo'sau yogābhyāsamupāśritaḥ | liṅgaṃ tu sthāpitaṃ tena mārkaṇḍeśvarasaṃjñitam

Translation

അദ്ദേഹം ഗുഹയുടെ അന്തർഭാഗത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ച് യോഗാഭ്യാസത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ചു. അവിടെ അദ്ദേഹം ഒരു ലിംഗം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു; അത് ‘മാർക്കണ്ഡേശ്വര’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമായി.

Word by Word

• गुहामध्यम्: the middle/interior of the cave
• गुहामध्यम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुहा (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (guhāyāḥ madhyam)

• प्रविष्टः: having entered
• प्रविष्टः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (having entered)

• असौ: that man, he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• योगाभ्यासम्: practice of yoga
• योगाभ्यासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (योगस्य अभ्यासः)

• उपाश्रितः: having taken refuge in / devoted to
• उपाश्रितः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-आ-श्रि (धातु) → उपाश्रित (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (having resorted to)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• स्थापितम्: was स्थापित/installed
• स्थापितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थापित (णिच् causative + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (causative PPP: set up)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मार्कण्डेश्वरसंज्ञितम्: named ‘Mārkaṇḍeśvara’
• मार्कण्डेश्वरसंज्ञितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा धातु, क्त; सम्-उपसर्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (मार्कण्डेश्वर इति संज्ञा यस्य)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuing the reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeśvara

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Uttānapāda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya enters deep into a cave, seated in yogic posture; beside him a newly established liṅga on a stone pedestal, with subtle offerings and a calm, charged atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mārkaṇḍeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner discipline (yoga) and outer consecration (liṅga-pratiṣṭhā) together generate enduring sacred power in a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cave-shrine where Mārkaṇḍeya established the Mārkaṇḍeśvara liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga स्थापना (pratiṣṭhā/installation) is referenced as the founding act of the shrine.