Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । शम्भुना रेतसा राजंस्तर्पितो हव्यवाहनः । प्राप्तसौख्येन रौद्रेण गौर्याक्रीडनचेतसा

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | śambhunā retasā rājaṃstarpito havyavāhanaḥ | prāptasaukhyena raudreṇa gauryākrīḍanacetasā

Translation

Sinabi ni Mārkaṇḍeya: O hari, si Havyavāhana (Agni) ay napasiyahan ng binhi ni Śambhu; at sa mabagsik na lakas na yaon—isinilang mula sa galak ni Śiva habang nakikipaglaro kay Gaurī—nakamit niya ang kamangha-manghang kapangyarihan.

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śambhunā: by Śambhu (Śiva)
• śambhunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• retasā: with semen
• retasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• tarpitaḥ: was satisfied
• tarpitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tṛp (तृप् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘was satisfied’

• havyavāhanaḥ: Havyavāhana (Agni)
• havyavāhanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havyavāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; अग्निवाचक

• prāptasaukhyena: with attained happiness
• prāptasaukhyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāpta (√āp + kta) + saukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासः—प्राप्तं सौख्यम् यस्य/येन (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषप्रायः); भावे तृतीया—‘with attained happiness’

• raudreṇa: fierce/terrible
• raudreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (cetasā इत्यस्य/भावस्य)

• gauryā: with Gaurī
• gauryā: Sambandha (Association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• akrīḍana: play/sporting
• akrīḍana: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ā-√krīḍ (क्रीड् धातु) + lyuṭ (ल्युट्) → krīḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-नाम (action noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासे पूर्वपद

• cetasā: with a mind intent on sporting with Gaurī
• cetasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासः—गौर्याः आक्रīḍनं चेतः यस्य/येन (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piṅgaleśvara (etiology)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic tableau: Śiva (Śambhu) and Gaurī in sportive delight; Agni (Havyavāhana) receives and is 'tarpita' (satiated/empowered) by Śiva’s tejas; the energy is depicted as a radiant, fierce aura transitioning toward Agni.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Rudra
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Havyavāhana (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine tejas (sacred power) is portrayed as transformative—capable of sanctifying deities and, by extension, places connected to the event.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supplies the mythic prelude that leads to Piṅgaleśvara’s establishment at Piṅgalāvarta.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative theology explaining how Agni became empowered to establish the liṅga.