Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । कृते त्वग्निमयः शैलस्त्रेतायां मणिपर्वतः । द्वापरं हाटकगिरिः कलौ मरकताचलः

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | kṛte tvagnimayaḥ śailastretāyāṃ maṇiparvataḥ | dvāparaṃ hāṭakagiriḥ kalau marakatācalaḥ

Translation

โคตมะกล่าวว่า: ในกฤตยุค ภูเขานั้นมีสภาพเป็นเพลิง; ในเตรตายุค กลายเป็นภูเขาแห่งรัตนะ; ในทวาปรยุค ปรากฏเป็นยอดทองคำ; และในกลียุค เป็นภูเขามรกต

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kṛte: in the Kṛta (age)
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; युगनाम (कृतयुगे)

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• agnimayaḥ: made of fire
• agnimayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अग्नि-मय इति तत्पुरुषसमासः; शैलः इति विशेषणम्

• śailaḥ: mountain
• śailaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• tretāyām: in the Tretā (age)
• tretāyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; युगनाम

• maṇiparvataḥ: the jewel-mountain (Maṇiparvata)
• maṇiparvataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇi + parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; मणि-पर्वत इति तत्पुरुषसमासः (नामधेय)

• dvāparam: in the Dvāpara (age)
• dvāparam: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचनार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः/द्वितीया-प्रायः; युगनाम (द्वापरे)

• hāṭakagiriḥ: the golden mountain (Hāṭakagiri)
• hāṭakagiriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭaka + giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; हाटक-गिरि इति तत्पुरुषसमासः (नामधेय)

• kalau: in the Kali (age)
• kalau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; युगनाम

• marakatācalaḥ: the emerald mountain (Marakatācala)
• marakatācalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marakata + acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; मरकत-अचल इति तत्पुरुषसमासः (नामधेय)

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aruṇācala

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (within the dialogue sequence)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-panel or concentric-time depiction of Arunāchala: blazing fire-mountain (Kṛta), gem-studded mountain (Tretā), golden peak (Dvāpara), emerald-green hill (Kali), with Gautama narrating to attentive listeners.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Aruṇācala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The one sacred Śiva-sthala (Aruṇācala) reveals different radiance in different ages, yet remains the same supreme refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aruṇācala—the sacred mountain later identified with Tiruvaṇṇāmalai—praised as a timeless Śiva-sthala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the site’s yuga-wise manifestation as its mahatmya.