Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

मेरुपादं समासाद्य मार्कंडाश्रममागता । यत्र मार्कंडकं तीर्थं मेरुपादे समाश्रितम्

Transliteration

merupādaṃ samāsādya mārkaṃḍāśramamāgatā | yatra mārkaṃḍakaṃ tīrthaṃ merupāde samāśritam

Translation

میروپاد تک پہنچ کر وہ مارکنڈا کے آشرم میں آئی؛ جہاں میروپاد پر قائم مارکنڈک تیرتھ مقدّس طور پر مستقر ہے۔

Word by Word

• मेरुपादम्: Merupāda (foot of Meru)
• मेरुपादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरुपाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मेरॊः पादः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• समासाद्य: having approached
• समासाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वार्थे) — gerund ‘having approached’

• मार्कण्डाश्रमम्: Mārkaṇḍa’s hermitage
• मार्कण्डाश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मार्कण्डस्य आश्रमः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• आगता: came
• आगता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/स्थानवाचक) — relative adverb ‘where’

• मार्कण्डकम्: Mārkaṇḍaka (named after Mārkaṇḍa)
• मार्कण्डकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्कण्डक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative/Accusative singular (here nominative as subject)

• मेरुपादे: in Merupāda
• मेरुपादे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरुपाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular

• समाश्रितम्: is situated/has taken refuge
• समाश्रितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used predicatively; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative singular (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍaka-tīrtha (at Merupāda)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī (as a radiant goddess/river-presence) arrives at Merupāda and enters Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage; a small tīrtha-pool or spring marked as Mārkaṇḍaka-tīrtha amid dark rocky slopes.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Merupāda
• Mārkaṇḍa
• Mārkaṇḍaka Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hermitages of great ṛṣis function as tīrthas; the meeting of Sarasvatī and Mārkaṇḍa’s āśrama highlights the union of sacred waters and realized tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mārkaṇḍaka Tīrtha at Merupāda, associated with Mārkaṇḍa’s āśrama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse identifies the tīrtha and anchors it to the sage’s āśrama for pilgrimage orientation.