Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यन्महेश्वरहर्म्याणां सहस्रेण भवेच्छुभम् । तदेके नैव चंद्रस्य प्राप्नुवंति शुभं नराः

Transliteration

yanmaheśvaraharmyāṇāṃ sahasreṇa bhavecchubham | tadeke naiva caṃdrasya prāpnuvaṃti śubhaṃ narāḥ

Translation

إنّ البركةَ من الثواب التي تنشأ عن بناء ألفِ هيكلٍ قصريٍّ لماهيشڤرا، ينالها بعضُ الناس بعينها من إقامة هيكلٍ واحدٍ لقندرا وحده.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; relative pronoun (यद्)

• maheśvara-harmyāṇām: of Maheshvara’s palaces
• maheśvara-harmyāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + harmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महेश्वरस्य हर्म्याणि)

• sahasreṇa: by/with a thousand
• sahasreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental of measure

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śubham: auspicious merit
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• tat: that (same merit)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• eke: some
• eke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; used substantively ‘some (people)’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negative particle)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• caṃdrasya: of the Moon (Candra)
• caṃdrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• prāpnuvanti: attain
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śubham: auspicious merit
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• narāḥ: men/people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers plans and gifts for a gleaming moon-temple; in the background, countless Śiva-palace shrines appear as a symbolic thousand, while Candra’s single shrine radiates equal auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Candra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic Māhātmya often magnifies a specific devotional act; here, Candra devotion is praised as extraordinarily fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Candra/Soma-focused sacred context is being exalted; the verse functions as a māhātmya-style merit comparison.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Building or endowing a Candra shrine is implied as yielding immense merit.