Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । ततो विप्रा नारदश्च समाराध्य महेश्वरम् । महीनगरके पुण्ये स्थापयामास शंकरम्

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tato viprā nāradaśca samārādhya maheśvaram | mahīnagarake puṇye sthāpayāmāsa śaṃkaram

Translation

Nārada sprach: Daraufhin verehrten die Brahmanen — und auch Nārada — Maheśvara in gebührender Weise und errichteten Śaṅkara an dem heiligen Ort namens Mahīnagara.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb: 'then/from there')

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• समाराध्य: having worshipped
• समाराध्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√rādh (राध् धातु) + lyap (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/ल्यप् = having worshipped), क्रियाविशेषण-भाव

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महीनगरके: in the city called Mahīnagaraka
• महीनगरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī + nagaraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (महीनगरे/महीनगरकं)

• पुण्ये: holy
• पुण्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying the place)

• स्थापयामास: installed/caused to be established
• स्थापयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) causative (णिच्) + लिट्
• Form: लिट् (periphrastic perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative: caused to be established/installed)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīnagara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada with brāhmaṇas performs worship and then establishes a Śiva-liṅga in Mahīnagara; ritual fire, water pots, flowers, and a newly set liṅga in a sanctified spot within a holy town.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Maheśvara
• Śaṅkara
• Mahīnagara
• vipras (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Collective worship and establishment of Śiva sanctify a geography, turning it into a recognized holy place within Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahīnagara, described as a puṇya (holy) locale where Śaṅkara is established.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samārādhana (formal worship) of Maheśvara followed by establishing/ installing Śaṅkara (liṅga-pratiṣṭhā implied).