Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

भक्त्याऽराधयमानस्य निर्भिद्य धरणीतलम् । समुत्तस्थौ महल्लिंगं परं माहेश्वरं नृप

Transliteration

bhaktyā'rādhayamānasya nirbhidya dharaṇītalam | samuttasthau mahalliṃgaṃ paraṃ māheśvaraṃ nṛpa

Translation

Als er in Hingabe verehrte, spaltete sich die Erdoberfläche, und ein großer Liṅga—der höchste, Maheśvara zugehörige—erhob sich, o König.

Word by Word

• भक्त्या: by devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• आराधयमानस्य: of (him) worshipping
• आराधयमानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√राध् (धातु) + शानच्/शतृ-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; present active participle used adjectivally, genitive singular

• निर्भिद्य: having pierced
• निर्भिद्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-√भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल; absolutive “having split/pierced”

• धरणीतलम्: the surface of the earth
• धरणीतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरण्याः तलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular

• समुत्तस्थौ: arose / sprang up
• समुत्तस्थौ: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उत्-√स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular perfect

• महल्लिंगम्: the great liṅga
• महल्लिंगम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महत् लिङ्गम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular (subject)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with महल्लिंगम्

• माहेश्वरम्: of Maheśvara / Śiva’s
• माहेश्वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with महल्लिंगम्

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative singular

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamāśrama Udbhava-liṅga (implied)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The ground cleaves with radiant fissures; from the earth rises a colossal, luminous liṅga. Gautama stands in astonished devotion; the king is addressed in narration.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Mahāliṅga
• Maheśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady bhakti invites direct divine manifestation; sacred places are born from such encounters between devotee and deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahāliṅga site associated with Gautamāśrama, where the Liṅga is said to have emerged from the ground.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional worship of Śiva is central; the verse describes a manifestation rather than prescribing a specific rite.