Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

आरोग्या वैद्यनाथे तु महाकाले महेश्वरी । अभयेत्युष्णतीर्थे तु मृगी वा विन्ध्यकन्दरे

Transliteration

ārogyā vaidyanāthe tu mahākāle maheśvarī | abhayetyuṣṇatīrthe tu mṛgī vā vindhyakandare

Translation

ณ ไวทยนาถ พระนางคือ อาโรคยา ผู้ประทานสุขภาพ; ณ มหากาล พระนางคือ มเหศวรี. ณ อุษณตีรถะ พระนางทรงพระนามว่า อภัยา ผู้ประทานความไร้ความหวาดกลัว; และในถ้ำแห่งวินธยะ พระนางเป็นที่รู้จักว่า มฤคี.

Word by Word

• आरोग्या: Ārogyā (Health-goddess)
• आरोग्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आरोग्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• वैद्यनाथे: at Vaidyanātha
• वैद्यनाथे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैद्यनाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• महाकाले: at Mahākāla
• महाकाले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• महेश्वरी: Maheśvarī
• महेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मह (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महा ईश्वरी); Nominative singular

• अभयेति: (named) ‘Abhayā’
• अभयेति: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभया (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-प्रयोगः; ‘अभया’ इति नाम-निर्देशः (quotative particle)

• उष्णतीर्थे: at Uṣṇa-tīrtha (hot spring ford)
• उष्णतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; उष्णं तीर्थम् इति कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः; Locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• मृगी: Mṛgī (doe-goddess/name)
• मृगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle) ‘or’

• विन्ध्यकन्दरे: in the cave of the Vindhya
• विन्ध्यकन्दरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विन्ध्यस्य कन्दरम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; Locative singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (Ujjain); Vaidyanātha; Uṣṇa-tīrtha; Vindhya-kandara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four powerful images: Devī Ārogyā beside Vaidyanātha liṅga with healing herbs and physicians; Devī Maheśvarī at Mahākāla temple with time-wheel and cremation-ground symbolism; Devī Abhayā at a steaming hot-spring tīrtha blessing pilgrims; Devī Mṛgī in a Vindhya cave with torchlight, deer/forest motifs, and protective gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Vaidyanātha
• Ārogyā
• Mahākāla
• Maheśvarī
• Uṣṇa-tīrtha
• Abhayā
• Vindhya
• Mṛgī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace addresses human needs through kṣetra-specific forms—health, protection, and spiritual power—without dividing the one Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaidyanātha, Mahākāla (classically associated with Ujjayinī/Ujjain), Uṣṇa-tīrtha, and the Vindhya caves are presented as potent seats of Devī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata or donation is described; the emphasis is on sacred naming tied to pilgrimage geography.