Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । राक्षसैस्तत्र लिंगानि यानि भक्त्या समन्वितैः । स्थापितानि च माहात्म्यं तेषां सूत प्रकीर्तय

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | rākṣasaistatra liṃgāni yāni bhaktyā samanvitaiḥ | sthāpitāni ca māhātmyaṃ teṣāṃ sūta prakīrtaya

Translation

Die Weisen sprachen: O Sūta, verkünde die Größe jener Liṅgas, die an jenem Ort von den Rakṣasas, erfüllt von Hingabe, errichtet wurden.

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• rākṣasaiḥ: by the rākṣasas
• rākṣasaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place): ‘there’

• liṅgāni: liṅgas (emblems)
• liṅgāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• yāni: which
• yāni: Karma (Relative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• samanvitaiḥ: endowed (with devotion)
• samanvitaiḥ: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samanvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle): पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; राक्षसैः इति विशेषणम् ‘endowed/associated (with)’

• sthāpitāni: installed
• sthāpitāni: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘placed/installed’ (passive sense)

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

• māhātmyam: the greatness, glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• teṣām: of those (liṅgas)
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• prakīrtaya: proclaim, narrate
• prakīrtaya: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Ṛṣis (the Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grove or kṣetra dotted with multiple ancient liṅgas; sages seated in inquiry before Sūta, requesting the greatness of the Rākṣasa-established shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Rākṣasas
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion sanctifies actions regardless of birth or species; even Rākṣasas can establish revered Śaiva symbols through bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same locale of the preceding tīrtha narrative in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, now focusing on liṅgas installed there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpanā (installation of Śiva-liṅgas) is referenced; the sages request its māhātmya (spiritual efficacy) to be explained.