Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यन्महेश्वरहर्म्याणां सहस्रेण भवेच्छुभम् । तदेके नैव चंद्रस्य प्राप्नुवंति शुभं नराः

Transliteration

yanmaheśvaraharmyāṇāṃ sahasreṇa bhavecchubham | tadeke naiva caṃdrasya prāpnuvaṃti śubhaṃ narāḥ

Translation

The auspicious merit that would arise from a thousand palatial shrines of Maheśvara—some men attain that very same merit from building for Candra alone.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; relative pronoun (यद्)

• maheśvara-harmyāṇām: of Maheshvara’s palaces
• maheśvara-harmyāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + harmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महेश्वरस्य हर्म्याणि)

• sahasreṇa: by/with a thousand
• sahasreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental of measure

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śubham: auspicious merit
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• tat: that (same merit)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• eke: some
• eke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; used substantively ‘some (people)’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negative particle)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• caṃdrasya: of the Moon (Candra)
• caṃdrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• prāpnuvanti: attain
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śubham: auspicious merit
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• narāḥ: men/people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers plans and gifts for a gleaming moon-temple; in the background, countless Śiva-palace shrines appear as a symbolic thousand, while Candra’s single shrine radiates equal auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Candra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic Māhātmya often magnifies a specific devotional act; here, Candra devotion is praised as extraordinarily fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Candra/Soma-focused sacred context is being exalted; the verse functions as a māhātmya-style merit comparison.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Building or endowing a Candra shrine is implied as yielding immense merit.