Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तो लिंगे ऽस्मिन्संस्थितः सदा । नृणां नाशयिता पापं पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्

Transliteration

mūrtyaṣṭakasamāyukto liṃge 'sminsaṃsthitaḥ sadā | nṛṇāṃ nāśayitā pāpaṃ pūrvajanmaśatārjitam

Translation

„Vereint mit den acht göttlichen Erscheinungsformen weile ich stets in diesem Liṅga und vernichte für die Menschen die Sünden, die in Hunderten früherer Geburten angesammelt wurden.“

Word by Word

• मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तः: endowed with the eight forms
• मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ति + अष्टक + सम् + युक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास (मूर्त्यष्टकेन समायुक्तः); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘endowed/associated’

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• संस्थितः: stationed
• संस्थितः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + √स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचन

• नाशयिता: destroyer
• नाशयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √नश्/√नाश् (धातु) → नाशयितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्तृवाचक-तृन्/तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्: earned over a hundred previous births
• पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व + जन्म + शत + अर्जित (कृदन्त)
• Form: समास (पूर्वजन्मसु शतेन अर्जितम्/पूर्वजन्मशतैः अर्जितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) विशेषण (पापम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Rudra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharitrī-liṅga (Aṣṭamūrti-samāyukta)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (immediate) and ṛṣi audience (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The liṅga radiates eight subtle emanations around it—symbols of the elements and luminaries (earth, water, fire, air, ether, sun, moon, and the sacrificer/ātman); devotees’ dark karmic smoke dissolves into light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Dharitrī-liṅga
• Mūrtyaṣṭaka (eight forms)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred worship can cut through deep karmic accumulation; Śiva’s presence is portrayed as multidimensional yet accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharitrī-liṅga at Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised for destroying sins amassed across many births.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-worship is implied as the means to destroy long-standing pāpa (sin) and karmic residue.