Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मृकण्डो ब्राह्मणोनाम पुराऽसीच्छंसितव्रतः । अन्ते वयसि संजातस्तस्य पुत्रोऽतिसुन्दरः

Transliteration

mṛkaṇḍo brāhmaṇonāma purā'sīcchaṃsitavrataḥ | ante vayasi saṃjātastasya putro'tisundaraḥ

Translation

往昔有一位名为弥利坎度（Mṛkaṇḍu）的婆罗门，坚守为人称颂之誓戒。至其晚年，得生一子，容貌殊胜俊美。

Word by Word

• मृकण्डः: Mṛkaṇḍa
• मृकण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृकण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बन्धे विधेय (predicate nominative)

• नाम: by name/indeed
• नाम: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (Apposition/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘indeed/by name’

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• शंसितव्रतः: of praised/commended vows
• शंसितव्रतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंसित (कृदन्त; शंस् धातु) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शंसितं व्रतं यस्य/शंसित-व्रतः)

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; स्थान/कालाधिकरणे

• वयसि: in (his) age
• वयसि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संजातः: born
• संजातः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकालिक कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘born/arisen’

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अतिसुन्दरः: very handsome
• अतिसुन्दरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + सुन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अति-शब्देन विशेषितः सुन्दरः)

Speaker

Pulastya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aged brāhmaṇa Mṛkaṇḍu and his wife receive a beautiful child; the hermitage is calm, with ritual vessels and a small sacred fire; the infant glows with auspicious marks.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma honors disciplined vows (vrata) as a source of blessings, including progeny and spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No new tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets up the Mārkaṇḍeya-āśrama context introduced earlier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse praises the quality of vrata (vowed discipline).