Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1
अर्जुन उवाच । महाकालस्त्वसौ कश्च कथं सिद्धिमुपागतः । अस्मिंस्तीर्थे मुनिश्रेष्ठ महदाश्चर्य मत्र मे
arjuna uvāca | mahākālastvasau kaśca kathaṃ siddhimupāgataḥ | asmiṃstīrthe muniśreṣṭha mahadāścarya matra me
അർജുനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ മഹാകാലൻ ആരാണ്? അവൻ എങ്ങനെ സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ചു? ഹേ മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ എനിക്ക് മഹത്തായ അത്ഭുതം തോന്നുന്നു।
Arjuna
Tirtha: Mahākāla-associated tīrtha at Barkareśvara (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sage (muniśreṣṭha)
Scene: Arjuna, bow at rest, stands with folded hands before a venerable sage at the edge of the sacred ford; the atmosphere is charged with unseen Mahākāla presence, inviting the next revelation.
FAQs
Reverent inquiry (jijñāsā) about a deity and a holy place opens the door to understanding tīrtha-māhātmya and the path of siddhi.
A tīrtha connected with Mahākāla is being introduced; its greatness will be explained in the ensuing narrative.
None directly; the verse frames a question about Mahākāla’s siddhi and the tīrtha’s significance.