Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

न तच्छ्रेयोऽग्निहोत्रेण नाग्निष्टोमेन लभ्यते । प्राप्नुवन्ति च यच्छ्रेयो मानवा लिङ्गपूजने

Transliteration

na tacchreyo'gnihotreṇa nāgniṣṭomena labhyate | prāpnuvanti ca yacchreyo mānavā liṅgapūjane

Translation

ذلك الخير الأسمى لا يُنال بالأغنيهوترا ولا بالأغنيشتوما؛ أمّا الخير الذي يناله الناس—بل هو الرفاه الأعلى—فيُكتسب بعبادة اللِّينغا.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेधार्थक-निपात

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (‘śreyaḥ’)

• śreyaḥ: the highest good; benefit
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• agnihotreṇa: by the Agnihotra rite
• agnihotreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agnihotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; अग्नि + होत्र

• na: nor/not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेधार्थक-निपात

• agniṣṭomena: by the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice
• agniṣṭomena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agniṣṭoma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; अग्नि + स्तोम

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: ‘is obtained’)

• prāpnuvanti: they attain
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) उपसर्गः प्र +
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (‘śreyaḥ’)

• śreyaḥ: the highest good
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• mānavāḥ: humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• liṅgapūjane: in the worship of the liṅga
• liṅgapūjane: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; लिङ्गस्य पूजनम्

Speaker

Sages (collective ṛṣis, continuing counsel within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: on one side a Vedic altar with agni and implements (Agnihotra/Agniṣṭoma), on the other a simple liṅga with bilva leaves and water; the narrative visually asserts liṅga-pūjā’s superior śreyas.

Characters & Entities

• Agnihotra
• Agniṣṭoma
• Liṅga-pūjā
• Humans (mānavāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship (bhakti expressed as liṅga-pūjā) is affirmed as a direct and accessible path to śreyas, surpassing certain complex sacrificial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Revā-khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, supporting Śaiva pilgrimage culture broadly rather than naming a single site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā is explicitly upheld as the practice through which humans attain the highest welfare; Agnihotra and Agniṣṭoma are mentioned for comparison.