Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मोक्षलिंगस्य माहात्म्यं शृणु पार्थ महाद्भुतम् । मया स्थानहितार्थं च समाराध्य महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

mokṣaliṃgasya māhātmyaṃ śṛṇu pārtha mahādbhutam | mayā sthānahitārthaṃ ca samārādhya maheśvaram

Translation

O Pārtha, höre die höchst wunderbare Größe des Mokṣa-Liṅga. Zum Wohle dieses heiligen Ortes habe ich Maheśvara in Hingabe verehrt.

Word by Word

• mokṣaliṅgasya: of the Mokṣa-liṅga
• mokṣaliṅgasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa-liṅga (प्रातिपदिक; मोक्ष + लिङ्ग)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘मोक्षस्य लिङ्गम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• māhātmyam: greatness; glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (acc sg)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pārtha: O Pārtha
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (voc sg)

• mahādbhutam: very wonderful
• mahādbhutam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक; महा + अद्भुत)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying māhātmyam)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3), एकवचन (instr sg)

• sthānahitārtham: for the benefit of the place
• sthānahitārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sthāna-hita-artha (प्रातिपदिक; स्थान + हित + अर्थ)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत्—‘स्थानहितार्थम्’ = for the welfare/purpose of the place

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

• samārādhya: having propitiated
• samārādhya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā√rādh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having duly propitiated’

• maheśvaram: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣa-liṅga / Mokṣeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator addresses ‘Pārtha’ while gesturing toward a radiant Śiva-liṅga titled Mokṣa-liṅga; nearby, the narrator performs worship to Maheśvara for the site’s welfare.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Mokṣa-liṅga
• Pārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation-oriented Śiva worship is presented as inseparable from preserving and benefiting a sacred place (sthāna-hita).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the Mokṣa-liṅga’s māhātmya within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa setting (the site is elaborated in the subsequent verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Propitiation/worship (samārādhana) of Maheśvara as the foundational act for establishing the site’s sanctity.