Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

विष्णुरुवाच । अहं लिंगस्य नाद्राक्षमादिमस्येति सत्यवाक्

Transliteration

viṣṇuruvāca | ahaṃ liṃgasya nādrākṣamādimasyeti satyavāk

Translation

Viṣṇu sprach: «Wahrhaftig: Ich sah den Anfang dieses Liṅga nicht».

Word by Word

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अद्राक्षम्: I saw
• अद्राक्षम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आदिम्: the beginning
• आदिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• सत्यवाक्: truth-speaking
• सत्यवाक्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Epithet/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वाच्/वाक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास ('whose speech is true'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ananta Liṅga (truth-revelation moment)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu stands before the gods with folded hands and calm face, declaring truthfully that he did not see the beginning of the Liṅga; the infinite pillar glows silently behind.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Satya (truthfulness) is supreme dharma; admitting limitation before the infinite is itself a mark of spiritual nobility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu is the contextual sacred landscape; the verse strengthens the Śaiva Māhātmya by affirming the Liṅga’s transcendence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the ethical prescription is implicit—speak truth (satya-vāk).