Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1
अर्जुन उवाच । महाकालस्त्वसौ कश्च कथं सिद्धिमुपागतः । अस्मिंस्तीर्थे मुनिश्रेष्ठ महदाश्चर्य मत्र मे
arjuna uvāca | mahākālastvasau kaśca kathaṃ siddhimupāgataḥ | asmiṃstīrthe muniśreṣṭha mahadāścarya matra me
Arjuna thưa: “Mahākāla ấy là ai, và bằng cách nào Ngài đạt đến sự viên mãn (siddhi)? Ôi bậc hiền thánh tối thượng, tại thánh độ này lòng kinh ngạc của con thật lớn lao.”
Arjuna
Tirtha: Mahākāla-associated tīrtha at Barkareśvara (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sage (muniśreṣṭha)
Scene: Arjuna, bow at rest, stands with folded hands before a venerable sage at the edge of the sacred ford; the atmosphere is charged with unseen Mahākāla presence, inviting the next revelation.
FAQs
Reverent inquiry (jijñāsā) about a deity and a holy place opens the door to understanding tīrtha-māhātmya and the path of siddhi.
A tīrtha connected with Mahākāla is being introduced; its greatness will be explained in the ensuing narrative.
None directly; the verse frames a question about Mahākāla’s siddhi and the tīrtha’s significance.