Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

तथैव सर्वजगतां मुखं लिंगं न संशयः । प्रारंभान्मुच्यते पापैः सर्वजन्मकृतैरपि

Transliteration

tathaiva sarvajagatāṃ mukhaṃ liṃgaṃ na saṃśayaḥ | prāraṃbhānmucyate pāpaiḥ sarvajanmakṛtairapi

Translation

So too, without doubt, the Liṅga is the “mouth” of all the worlds. From the very commencement of this act one is freed from sins—even those accumulated through many births.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; अवधारण)

• सर्वजगताम्: of all the worlds
• सर्वजगताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘सर्वजगत्’ = all worlds/beings

• मुखम्: face/mouth
• मुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समानााधिकरण (apposition) ‘मुखम्’

• न: not/no
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रारम्भात्: from the beginning/commencement
• प्रारम्भात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रारम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• पापैः: from sins/by sins
• पापैः: Hetu/Instrument (Instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वजन्मकृतैः: done in all births
• सर्वजन्मकृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + जन्म + कृत (कृ धातु-क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘कृत’ = past passive participle (क्त) qualifying ‘पापैः’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/particle; ‘even/also’)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāsena (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Śiva-liṅga envisioned as the ‘mouth’ of the cosmos—worlds and beings oriented toward it; devotees begin worship and are shown shedding dark karmic veils at the very start.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-liṅga worship is described as an immediate purifier, addressing even deep karmic residue from multiple lives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred geography is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes the efficacy from the very start of liṅga-related worship/installation, though no single item is specified here.