Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 132
बक उवाच । एष मार्कंडसंज्ञोऽत्र प्रसिद्धो भुवनत्रये । महेश्वरप्रसादेन संसिद्धिं परमां गतः । द्वितीयोऽसौ सुहृच्चास्य कश्चिन्नो वेद्मि तत्त्वतः । मार्कंडेन समायातः सुहृदा व ममांतिकम्
baka uvāca | eṣa mārkaṃḍasaṃjño'tra prasiddho bhuvanatraye | maheśvaraprasādena saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gataḥ | dvitīyo'sau suhṛccāsya kaścinno vedmi tattvataḥ | mārkaṃḍena samāyātaḥ suhṛdā va mamāṃtikam
Baka berkata: “Yang ini bernama Mārkaṇḍa, termasyhur di tiga alam. Dengan rahmat Maheśvara, beliau telah mencapai kesempurnaan tertinggi. Yang kedua ini ialah sahabat karibnya—seseorang; hakikatnya aku tidak benar-benar mengenalnya. Dia datang berserta Mārkaṇḍa kepadaku, sebagai teman seperjalanan dan sahabat.”
Baka
Listener: Prākāravarṇa (implied by prior verse context)
Scene: Baka identifies the radiant visitor as the famed Mārkaṇḍa, perfected by Maheśvara’s grace; he admits he does not know the second companion’s true essence.
FAQs
Supreme accomplishment (saṃsiddhi) is attributed to Śiva’s grace, emphasizing devotion and divine favor as central to liberation narratives.
The verse continues a tīrtha-focused chapter but primarily identifies the saintly figure; the tīrtha name is not stated in this shloka.
No explicit rite is stated here; it frames Śiva’s grace as the source of spiritual attainment.