Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

प्रतिष्ठितं मया लिंगं भेत्तुं कस्य बलं भवेत् । उत्तिष्ठ लिंगमुद्वास्य मयैतत्स्थापितं कपे

Transliteration

pratiṣṭhitaṃ mayā liṃgaṃ bhettuṃ kasya balaṃ bhavet | uttiṣṭha liṃgamudvāsya mayaitatsthāpitaṃ kape

Translation

„Diesen Liṅga habe ich selbst errichtet; wessen Kraft könnte ihn zerbrechen? Steh auf; lass ab vom Entfernen des Liṅga. O Vānara, von mir ist er eingesetzt.“

Word by Word

• pratiṣṭhitam: firmly established
• pratiṣṭhitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘प्रतिष्ठित’ (firmly established)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-instrumental/कर्ता-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhettum: to break/split
• bhettum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhid (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), ‘भेत्तुम्’

• kasya: of whom
• kasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• balam: strength
• balam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhavet: could be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• uttiṣṭha: rise up
• uttiṣṭha: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• udvāsya: having removed
• udvāsya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√vas (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), ‘उद्वास्य’ (having removed/caused to depart)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-instrumental/कर्ता-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• sthāpitam: installed
• sthāpitam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) (णिच् causative: sthāpaya-)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kape: O monkey (Hanumān)
• kape: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (contextual deduction within Setukhaṇḍa’s Rāmeśvaram Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu / Rāmeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A vāṇara (‘kape’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding figure addresses a vāṇara attempting to lift or dislodge the liṅga; the liṅga remains unmoved, radiating steadiness; attendants halt mid-action; the sea and sand emphasize the contrast between shifting nature and fixed sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga
• Vānara (kapi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A consecrated liṅga is inviolable; dharma includes reverence for established sacred forms and restraint from disrupting them.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra/Rāmeśvaram, emphasizing the unbreakable sanctity of the established liṅga(s) there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An explicit injunction: do not remove/dislodge the consecrated liṅga; honor the established pratiṣṭhā.