Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

धुन्धुमार उवाच । यदि देयो वरोऽस्माकं त्वया सर्वसुरेश्वर । संनिधानं प्रकर्तव्यं लिंगेऽस्मिन्वृषभध्वज

Transliteration

dhundhumāra uvāca | yadi deyo varo'smākaṃ tvayā sarvasureśvara | saṃnidhānaṃ prakartavyaṃ liṃge'sminvṛṣabhadhvaja

Translation

Dhundhumāra sprach: „Wenn du mir einen Segen gewähren willst, o Herr aller Götter — o du mit dem Stierbanner — so begründe deine dauernde Gegenwart in diesem Liṅga.“

Word by Word

• dhundhumāraḥ: Dhundhumāra
• dhundhumāraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhundhumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conditional): यदि

• deyaḥ: to be given
• deyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective of 'varaḥ')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deya (कृदन्त; √dā/दा)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त: विधेय/gerundive (to be given)

• varaḥ: boon
• varaḥ: Karta (Subject of passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• asmākam: of us/for us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन

• sarva-sureśvara: O Lord of all gods
• sarva-sureśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + sura (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; समास: सर्वेषां सुराणाम् ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• saṃnidhānam: presence, proximity
• saṃnidhānam: Karma (Object of obligation/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃnidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prakartavyam: must be established
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligatory predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + kartavya (कृदन्त; √kṛ/कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त: विधेय/gerundive (to be done/should be made)

• liṅge: in the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vṛṣabha-dhvaja: O Bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• vṛṣabha-dhvaja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: यस्य ध्वजः वृषभः सः (he whose banner is the bull)

Speaker

Dhundhumāra (Kuvalayāśva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (Sarvasureśvara, Vṛṣabhadhvaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhundhumāra, hands folded, requests Śiva to dwell permanently in the liṅga; the liṅga is foregrounded as the axis of the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Dhundhumāra
• Śiva (Sarvasureśvara, Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest boon sought by a devotee is not worldly gain but the Lord’s continual presence for the benefit of all worshipers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga installed at Camatkārapura is positioned as the focal point of Śiva’s abiding presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The request establishes a doctrine of ‘saṃnidhāna’—that Śiva will be specially present in the installed liṅga for worship.