Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तस्माद्वरं लिंगरूपं शालग्रामगतं हरिम् । येऽर्चयंति नरा भक्त्या न तेषां दुःखयातनाः

Transliteration

tasmādvaraṃ liṃgarūpaṃ śālagrāmagataṃ harim | ye'rcayaṃti narā bhaktyā na teṣāṃ duḥkhayātanāḥ

Translation

لذلك فالأفضل أن يُعبَد هاري (Hari) القائم في شالاغراما (Śālagrāma) في هيئة شبيهة باللِّينغا (liṅga) بعبادةٍ مفعمة بالبهاكتي؛ فإن الذين يعبدون على هذا النحو لا تصيبهم عذابات مؤلمة.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचनम्

• varam: better
• varam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'is better')

• liṅgarūpam: having the form of a liṅga
• liṅgarūpam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (liṅgasya rūpam), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying harim)

• śālagrāmagatam: gone into/abiding in Śālagrāma
• śālagrāmagatam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śālagrāma (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √gam + ta)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (śālagrāme gataḥ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying harim)

• harim: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• harim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• arcayanti: worship
• arcayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• narāḥ: men/people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; ye इत्यस्य समनाधिकरणम् (apposition)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनम्

• na: not/no
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• teṣām: for them/of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्

• duḥkhayātanāḥ: painful torments
• duḥkhayātanāḥ: Karta (Subject of implied 'bhavanti'/exist)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + yātanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (duḥkhasya yātanā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Gālava (continuing instruction within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāśūdra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers water and tulasī to a black Śālagrāma stone shaped like a smooth liṅga; behind, a softened vision of Hari’s presence dispels shadowy forms symbolizing torments.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Śālagrāma
• liṅga-rūpa
• bhakti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship of Hari in Śālagrāma is presented as a supreme refuge that removes suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śālagrāma (as a sacred presence) is central; the broader narrative current is tied to the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) of Hari as Śālagrāma with bhakti.