Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17
ईश्वर उवाच । त्रिषु लोकेषु विख्यातो मार्कण्डेयो मुनीश्वरः । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं स तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम्
īśvara uvāca | triṣu lokeṣu vikhyāto mārkaṇḍeyo munīśvaraḥ | divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ sa tapastepe sudāruṇam
อีศวรตรัสว่า “มารกันเฑยะ ฤๅษีผู้เป็นใหญ่ เป็นที่เลื่องลือในสามโลก เขาบำเพ็ญตบะอันเคร่งครัดยิ่งตลอดหนึ่งพันปีทิพย์”
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeya-tapas-sthāna (within Revā-khaṇḍa)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Uttānapāda
Scene: Īśvara narrates: the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, radiant yet austere, performs fierce tapas for a thousand divine years—seated in stillness, surrounded by subtle cosmic signs (sun-moon cycles, flowing time).
FAQs
Great sanctity arises from sustained tapas; the fame of a sage becomes the spiritual foundation of a tīrtha and shrine.
The narrative frames the cave-liṅga’s sanctity through Mārkaṇḍeya’s tapas, grounding the local Mārkaṇḍeśvara shrine.
No ritual instruction here; it describes Mārkaṇḍeya’s long austerity.