Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तल्लिंगं यत्नतो द्विजाः । स्पर्शनीयं च पूज्यं च नमस्कार्यं प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena talliṃgaṃ yatnato dvijāḥ | sparśanīyaṃ ca pūjyaṃ ca namaskāryaṃ prayatnataḥ

Translation

Therefore, O twice-born ones, with every effort and careful attention, that liṅga should be touched, worshipped, and saluted with reverent prostration.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्ययार्थे पञ्चमी-रूपम् (ablatival indeclinable sense): ‘तस्मात्’ = therefore/from that

• sarva-prayatnena: with all effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’ = all effort)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object determiner/कर्मनिर्धारक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (liṅgam)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yatnataḥ: carefully
• yatnataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatnatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘यत्नतः’ = carefully/with effort

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense) प्रथमा-बहुवचन-रूपप्रयोगः

• sparśanīyam: to be touched
• sparśanīyam: Karma (Predicate adjective of object/कर्मविधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: spṛś (स्पृश् धातु)
• Form: अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (liṅgam)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• pūjyam: to be worshipped
• pūjyam: Karma (Predicate adjective of object/कर्मविधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थे कृदन्त (gerundive sense); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (liṅgam)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• namaskāryam: to be saluted
• namaskāryam: Karma (Predicate adjective of object/कर्मविधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: namas + kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: णिच्-समासपूर्वक ‘नमस्’ + √कृ; यत्-प्रत्ययार्थे कृदन्त (gerundive): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (liṅgam)

• prayatnataḥ: diligently
• prayatnataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prayatnatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘प्रयत्नतः’ = with effort/diligently

Speaker

Narrator (contextual: Sūta addressing the sages / audience as dvijāḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liṅga shrine with dvijas (brahmins/pilgrims) approaching in orderly reverence: one touches the liṅga, another offers flowers, another performs aṣṭāṅga-namaskāra; the atmosphere is disciplined and sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Dwijas (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is activated through embodied reverence—contact (sparśa), worship (pūjā), and humility (namaskāra).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga-tīrtha described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 30, presented as especially worthy of direct devotional acts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśa (touching), pūjā (worship), and namaskāra (bowing/prostration) to the liṅga with diligence.