Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 180

Devanagari script

निष्पावजं दानवाश्च लिंगनाम च दिक्पतिम् । मेघा नीरमयं लिंगं पर्जन्यपतिनाम च

Transliteration

niṣpāvajaṃ dānavāśca liṃganāma ca dikpatim | meghā nīramayaṃ liṃgaṃ parjanyapatināma ca

Translation

Die Dānavas errichteten einen Liṅga aus niṣpāva (einer Art Hülsenfrucht); er heißt Dikpati, „Herr der Himmelsrichtungen“. Die Wolken errichteten einen aus Wasser gebildeten Liṅga; er wird Parjanyapati genannt, „Herr des Regens“.

Word by Word

• निष्पावजम्: born of niṣpāva (a pulse/bean)
• निष्पावजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पावज (प्रातिपदिक; निष्पाव+ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative singular; adjective)

• दानवाः: the Dānavas (demons)
• दानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• लिङ्गनाम: named Liṅga (as a name)
• लिङ्गनाम: Sambandha (Appellation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: लिङ्गनाम (प्रातिपदिक; लिङ्ग+नाम)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक-अव्ययसमास (appellative compound used indeclinably: 'named ...')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दिक्पतिम्: lord of the directions
• दिक्पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिक्पति (प्रातिपदिक; दिक्+पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, accusative singular)

• मेघाः: the clouds
• मेघाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• नीरमयम्: made of water
• नीरमयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नीरमय (प्रातिपदिक; नीर+मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative singular; adjective)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• पर्जन्यपतिनाम: named Parjanyapati
• पर्जन्यपतिनाम: Sambandha (Appellation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर्जन्यपतिनाम (प्रातिपदिक; पर्जन्यपति+नाम)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक-अव्ययसमास (appellative compound used indeclinably: 'named Parjanyapati')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dānavas offer a pale bean/pulse liṅga on a mandala marked with the eight directions; above, rain-clouds personified pour water forming a translucent liṅga, with lightning as a halo and peacocks in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Dānavas
• Dikpati
• Meghas (clouds)
• Nīra (water)
• Parjanyapati
• Śiva (implied by liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is praised as the ruler of space (directions) and sustenance (rain); worship aligns the devotee with cosmic order and prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular pilgrimage site is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only the notion of forming Liṅgas from pulse and from water is given; no explicit snāna, dāna, or japa is stated.