Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि ऋषीणामूर्ध्वरेतसाम् । तत्र स्थितानि देवेशि मार्कण्डेयाश्रमांतिके

Transliteration

aṣṭāśītisahasrāṇi ṛṣīṇāmūrdhvaretasām | tatra sthitāni deveśi mārkaṇḍeyāśramāṃtike

Translation

Lapan puluh lapan ribu ṛṣi yang mengekang benih dan menyalurkan tenaga rohani (pertapa selibat) tinggal di sana, wahai Dewi para dewa, dekat pertapaan Mārkaṇḍeya.

Word by Word

• अष्टाशीति-सहस्राणि: eighty-thousand (in number)
• अष्टाशीति-सहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाशीति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक द्विगु-समास

• ऋषीणाम्: of sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊर्ध्व-रेतसाम्: of the celibate (sages)
• ऊर्ध्व-रेतसाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक) + रेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); बहुव्रीहि (those whose semen is upward; i.e., celibate)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• स्थितानि: situated/standing
• स्थितानि: Kriya/Predicate (state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• देवेशि: O Lady of the gods
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मार्कण्डेय-आश्रम-अन्तिके: near Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage
• मार्कण्डेय-आश्रम-अन्तिके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama vicinity (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Deveśī/Mahādevī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping scene of countless celibate sages near Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage—rows of ascetics with jaṭā, kamaṇḍalu, and mṛga-carma, seated in meditation; the air feels charged and still.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is amplified by the tapas of realized sages who inhabit and protect its sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama area within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes the presence of vast numbers of ascetics as the source of the site’s spiritual power.