Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यस्मात्पाप त्वयास्माकमाश्रमोऽयं विडंबितः । तस्माल्लिंगं पतत्वाशु तवैव वसुधातले

Transliteration

yasmātpāpa tvayāsmākamāśramo'yaṃ viḍaṃbitaḥ | tasmālliṃgaṃ patatvāśu tavaiva vasudhātale

Translation

„O Sünder! Weil du unseren Āśrama verspottet und entehrt hast, so falle dein Liṅga auf der Stelle—hier auf die Oberfläche der Erde!“

Word by Word

• yasmāt: because (from the fact) that
• yasmāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (Ablative); एकवचन; हेतु-वाचक (because of which)

• pāpa: O sinner
• pāpa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa / Kartṛ (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); एकवचन

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (Genitive); बहुवचन

• āśramaḥ: hermitage
• āśramaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative to āśramaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• viḍambitaḥ: has been insulted/mocked
• viḍambitaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ḍamb (धातु) → viḍambita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) प्रयुक्तः विधेय-रूपे; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (has been mocked/violated)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Logical connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-शब्दः अव्ययीभाववत्; हेतु-निष्कर्ष-वाचक (therefore)

• liṅgam: the liṅga (phallus/emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (आज्ञार्थे द्वितीया-सम्भावना)

• patatu: let it fall
• patatu: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण (quickly)

• tava: of you, your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• vasudhā-tale: on the surface of the earth
• vasudhā-tale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vasudhāyāḥ talam)

Speaker

Munis (sages) speaking (within Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages pronounce a curse with raised hands; the earth below becomes the destined landing-place of the liṅga; Śiva stands calm, the moment suspended between wrath and cosmic wonder; the ground subtly glows or cracks to mark sanctification.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)
• Maheśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Insulting an āśrama and disturbing sacred discipline is treated as grave adharma, bringing immediate karmic consequence in Purāṇic narration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse contributes to the origin-style Māhātmya that typically sanctifies a locale through a divine event, but the site-name is not given in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a pronouncement (śāpa) that drives the sacred-history narrative.