Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

स्ववंशोद्धरचंद्रोऽत्र वांछितार्थप्रदोऽर्थिनाम् । तेनैतत्क्षेत्रमासाद्य स्थापितं लिंगमुत्तमम् । स्वनाम्ना ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठाः सर्वदेष्टप्रदं नृणाम्

Transliteration

svavaṃśoddharacaṃdro'tra vāṃchitārthaprado'rthinām | tenaitatkṣetramāsādya sthāpitaṃ liṃgamuttamam | svanāmnā brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhāḥ sarvadeṣṭapradaṃ nṛṇām

Translation

هنا صار كالقمر الذي يرفع شأن سلالته، ويمنح السائلين ما يتمنّونه. ولمّا بلغ هذا الكِشْتْرَة المقدّس أقام لِنگًا لشيفا هو الأسمى، وسمّاه باسمه—يا خيارَ البراهمة—وهو الذي يهب للناس كلَّ ما يبتغون.

Word by Word

• sva: own
• sva: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण (compound-member adjective), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable-like as compound member)

• vaṃśa: lineage
• vaṃśa: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-नामपद (compound member noun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• uddhara: uplift/rescue
• uddhara: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uddhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-नामपद (compound member noun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• candraḥ: moon-like one (named/likened as Candra)
• candraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: sva-vaṃśa-uddhara-candra (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः, ‘स्ववंशोद्धरः चन्द्र इव’)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• vāṃchita: desired
• vāṃchita: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāṃchita (कृदन्त; √vāñch (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), ‘इष्ट/वाञ्छित’

• artha: object/goal
• artha: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-नामपद, पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• pradaḥ: giver (bestower)
• pradaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: vāṃchita-artha-prada (तत्पुरुषः)

• arthinām: of the supplicants/seekers
• arthinām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arthin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• tena: by him/therefore
• tena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘kṣetram’ इति विशेषण

• kṣetram: sacred field/place
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āsādya: having reached
• āsādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√sad (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘आसाद्य’ = having reached

• sthāpitam: was established
• sthāpitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘sthāpitam’ इति सह

• uttamam: excellent/supreme
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘liṅgam’ इति विशेषण

• sva: own
• sva: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण, अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• nāmnā: by (its) own name
• nāmnā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः: sva-nāmnā (तत्पुरुषः)

• brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhāḥ: best of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha (तत्पुरुषः)

• sarva: all
• sarva: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण, अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• deṣṭa: desired
• deṣṭa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deṣṭa (कृदन्त; √diś/√dṛś?; here ‘iṣṭa’ sense)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण; ‘इष्ट’ (desired) अर्थे प्रयोगः

• pradam: granting (bestowing)
• pradam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: sarva-deṣṭa-prada (तत्पुरुषः)

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Aṭeśvara-liṅga context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha(s) (addressed as ‘O best of brāhmaṇas’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pious founder arrives at a radiant kṣetra, installs a polished Śiva-liṅga, and sages/brāhmaṇas witness the consecration; the liṅga is shown as ‘sarveṣṭa-prada’ with supplicants offering flowers and water.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga (Aṭeśvara, implied by context)
• kṣetra (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra)
• brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Establishing and honoring a Śiva-liṅga in a consecrated kṣetra is portrayed as a powerful dharmic act that uplifts lineage and fulfills righteous desires.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse praises the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra where Aṭeśvara (the liṅga named after Aṭa) was established.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (installation of a Śiva-liṅga) at the kṣetra, with the promise of granting desired aims to devotees.