Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अदितिश्चापि सन्तुष्टा हतशेषान्सुतांस्ततः । समानीयाथ तल्लिंगं तेषामेव न्यदर्शयत् । कथयामास तत्सर्वं माहात्म्यं यद्वरोदितम्

Transliteration

aditiścāpi santuṣṭā hataśeṣānsutāṃstataḥ | samānīyātha talliṃgaṃ teṣāmeva nyadarśayat | kathayāmāsa tatsarvaṃ māhātmyaṃ yadvaroditam

Translation

Auch Aditi, zufrieden, versammelte daraufhin ihre Söhne, die das Gemetzel überlebt hatten. Als sie sie zusammengeführt hatte, zeigte sie ihnen eben jenen Liṅga und erzählte ihnen vollständig die heilige Größe (māhātmya), die von der gnadenverleihenden Stimme verkündet worden war.

Word by Word

• aditiḥ: Aditi
• aditiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aditi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (also)

• santuṣṭā: satisfied, pleased
• santuṣṭā: Kartṛ-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-tuṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ-विशेषण

• hata-śeṣān: the remaining (sons) after the slain (i.e., survivors)
• hata-śeṣān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √han) + śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘हत’ इति विशेषणेन ‘शेष’ (remaining) विशेष्यः

• sutān: sons
• sutān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (then/thereupon)

• samānīya: having brought together
• samānīya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-nī (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

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

• nyadarśayat: showed
• nyadarśayat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘दर्शयति’ (to show) with नि- उपसर्ग

• kathayāmāsa: narrated, told
• kathayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (णिजन्त-धातु, √kath)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; परिप्रयोग (periphrastic perfect style)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

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

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• vara-uditam: spoken by the excellent one (boon-giver)
• vara-uditam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + udita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √vad/√ud-i?; here ‘spoken/uttered’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे—‘वरेण उदितम्’ (spoken by the boon-giver/excellent one)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator), with Aditi acting within the narrative

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aditi, serene and resolute, gathers her surviving sons; she leads them to the liṅga in the sanctuary and narrates the oracle’s words, turning trauma into devotion and renewed purpose.

Characters & Entities

• Aditi
• Sons of Aditi (Ādityas/Devas, implied)
• Liṅga
• Divine voice (vara-uditam)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The glory of a liṅga and its tīrtha is to be preserved through testimony and transmission—hearing and retelling māhātmya is itself a dharmic act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga at the center of this Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya episode is glorified; the exact place-name is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on darśana of the liṅga and the hearing/recitation of its māhātmya.