Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

नर्मदाजललिंगं ये ह्यर्च यिष्यंति ते शिवाः । शिला हरत्वमापन्नाः प्राणिनामपि का कथा

Transliteration

narmadājalaliṃgaṃ ye hyarca yiṣyaṃti te śivāḥ | śilā haratvamāpannāḥ prāṇināmapi kā kathā

Translation

Wer den aus dem Wasser der Narmadā entstandenen Liṅga verehrt, wird wahrlich Śiva-gleich. Wenn sogar Steine den Zustand Haris (Befreiung/Göttlichkeit) erlangen, was ist dann erst von lebenden Wesen zu sagen?

Word by Word

• नर्मदाजललिङ्गम्: a liṅga (formed/related to) Narmadā water
• नर्मदाजललिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + जल + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः जलं तेन निर्मितं/सम्बद्धं लिङ्गम्)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अर्चयिष्यन्ति: will worship
• अर्चयिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• शिवाः: (become) Śivas
• शिवाः: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय-नाम (they are Śivas)

• शिलाः: stones
• शिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हरत्वम्: the state of being Hara
• हरत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर + त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (state of being Hara)

• आपन्नाः: having attained
• आपन्नाः: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + पद् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → आपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (attained)

• प्राणिनाम्: of living beings
• प्राणिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• का: what (then)
• का: Visheshana (Interrogative/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (rhetorical)

• कथा: talk, mention
• कथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta-style narration within Nāgara Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the riverbank, a translucent liṅga formed of shimmering Narmadā water is worshipped; the water seems to hold its shape, while stones nearby glow as if awakened, symbolizing jaḍa uplift and ‘haritva’ metaphor.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Śiva
• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva connected with the Narmadā is portrayed as extraordinarily purifying, capable of transforming the devotee’s spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā at Amarakantaka and its tīrtha sphere, within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (formal worship) of a liṅga associated with Narmadā water.