Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथान्यदपि तत्रास्ति सुपुण्यं लिंगसप्तकम् । येनार्चितेन दृष्टेन पूजितेन विशेषतः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athānyadapi tatrāsti supuṇyaṃ liṃgasaptakam | yenārcitena dṛṣṭena pūjitena viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: Ferner gibt es dort eine höchst verdienstvolle Siebenergruppe von Liṅgas; wer sie verehrt, sie schaut und sie insbesondere durch Pūjā ehrt, erlangt großes Verdienst.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• अन्यत्: another (thing)
• अन्यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग (pronominal)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सुपुण्यम्: very meritorious
• सुपुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• लिङ्गसप्तकम्: a set of seven liṅgas
• लिङ्गसप्तकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + सप्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'group of liṅgas')

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अर्चितेन: by (its being) worshipped
• अर्चितेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'अर्चित'

• दृष्टेन: by (its being) seen
• दृष्टेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'दृष्ट'

• पूजितेन: by (its being) honored
• पूजितेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'पूजित'

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-saptaka (within the kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (standard Sūta frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred enclosure with seven distinct liṅgas arranged in a line or circle; pilgrims move from one to the next offering flowers and lamps while a paurāṇika narrator (Sūta) speaks.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Liṅga-saptaka (seven liṅgas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In tīrtha-māhātmya, even darśana (seeing) and arcana (worship) at a sanctified Śaiva site are taught as direct sources of puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks of “there” (tatra), i.e., the Hāṭakeśvara sacred region being described in this Nāgara Khaṇḍa section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship), darśana (beholding), and special pūjā to the liṅga-saptaka.