Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

यस्तल्लिंगं पुनर्भक्त्या पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः । अर्चयेत्स ध्रुवं मुक्तिं प्राप्नोति द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

yastalliṃgaṃ punarbhaktyā puṣpadhūpānulepanaiḥ | arcayetsa dhruvaṃ muktiṃ prāpnoti dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

Wer jenen Liṅga erneut in Hingabe verehrt — mit Blumen, Weihrauch und Salbungen — erlangt gewiss die Befreiung, o Beste der Zweifachgeborenen.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः: with flowers, incense, and unguents
• पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—समाहार-द्वन्द्व (flowers+incense+unguents)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अन्वादेश (correlative pronoun)

• ध्रुवम्: surely
• ध्रुवम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of certainty)

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां सत्तमाः = best among the twice-born) संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (vocative sense)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama(s) (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands before a radiant black-stone liṅga on a yoni-pīṭha, offering fresh flowers, curling incense smoke, and sandal paste; priests and forest-hermitage ambience suggest a tīrtha shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Dvija-sattama (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti expressed through simple offerings in liṅga-pūjā is upheld as a direct means to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga established at the tīrtha in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 32; the verse praises worship at that spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana of the liṅga with puṣpa (flowers), dhūpa (incense), and anulepana (ointments/unguents).