Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा योऽभ्यर्चयेद्देवं कोटीश्वरमनन्यधीः । कोटिलिंगार्चनफलं व्यक्तं तस्योपजायते

Transliteration

snātvā yo'bhyarcayeddevaṃ koṭīśvaramananyadhīḥ | koṭiliṃgārcanaphalaṃ vyaktaṃ tasyopajāyate

Translation

Nach dem Bad erlangt, wer den Herrn Koṭīśvara mit ungeteiltem Geist verehrt, offenkundig die Frucht, als hätte er ein koṭi (ein Crore) von Liṅgas verehrt.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having bathed

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• अभ्यर्चयेत्: should worship
• अभ्यर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवम्: the god (deity)
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• कोटीश्वरम्: Koṭīśvara (Lord of crores)
• कोटीश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कोटीनाम् ईश्वरः)

• अनन्यधीः: with undivided mind
• अनन्यधीः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्य + धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अनन्या धीः यस्य) used as epithet of यः

• कोटिलिङ्गार्चनफलम्: the fruit of worshipping crores of liṅgas
• कोटिलिङ्गार्चनफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + लिङ्ग + अर्चन + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कोटि-लिङ्गानाम् अर्चनस्य फलम्)

• व्यक्तम्: manifest, clearly
• व्यक्तम्: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate adjective qualifying फलम्

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• उपजायते: arises for him / accrues
• उपजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭīśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, freshly bathed, stands before Koṭīśvara liṅga in deep concentration; the liṅga radiates, and in the aura appear countless faint liṅgas symbolizing ‘koṭi-liṅgārcana-phala’.

Characters & Entities

• Koṭīśvara
• Snāna
• Liṅga
• Arcana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed devotion, joined to tīrtha-bathing and Śiva-worship, multiplies merit beyond ordinary measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭitīrtha and its presiding deity Koṭīśvara are praised as uniquely merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) followed by arcana (worship) of Koṭīśvara with ananyadhī (undistracted focus).