Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 155

Devanagari script

धन्वंतरिर्गोमयं च सर्वलोकेश्वरेश्वरम् । गंधर्वा दारुजं लिंगं सर्वश्रेष्ठेति नाम च

Transliteration

dhanvaṃtarirgomayaṃ ca sarvalokeśvareśvaram | gaṃdharvā dārujaṃ liṃgaṃ sarvaśreṣṭheti nāma ca

Translation

Dhanvantari venera un liṅga hecho de estiércol de vaca, invocando (a Śiva como) “Sarvalokeśvareśvara”, el Señor de todos los señores de los mundos. Los Gandharvas veneran un liṅga de madera y lo nombran “Sarvaśreṣṭha” (el Mejor de todos).

Word by Word

• dhanvantariḥ: Dhanvantari
• dhanvantariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanvantari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• gomayam: cow-dung
• gomayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

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

• sarva-loka-īśvara-īśvaram: Lord of the lords of all worlds
• sarva-loka-īśvara-īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘सर्वलोकानाम् ईश्वराणाम् ईश्वरः’

• gandharvāḥ: the Gandharvas
• gandharvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• dārujam: made of wood
• dārujam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāru (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘दारोः जातम्/दारुमयम्’

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• sarva-śreṣṭha-iti: “Sarvaśreṣṭha” (thus)
• sarva-śreṣṭha-iti: Sambandha (Quotation/Naming)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थ ‘इति’; sarvaśreṣṭha = नाम (quoted)

• nāma: name; called
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; naming usage

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa default attribution

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhanvantari, radiant and physician-like, offers water and bilva to a small cow-dung liṅga on a clean leaf-altar; nearby Gandharvas with vīṇā and flute worship a polished wooden liṅga, singing ‘Sarvaśreṣṭha’.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanvantari
• Gandharvas
• Śiva
• Sarvalokeśvareśvara
• Sarvaśreṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of devotion surpasses external opulence: even simple sacred materials become vehicles of supreme worship when dedicated to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the emphasis is on the universality of Śiva-bhakti and the sanctity of worship across realms.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga worship with specific invocatory names: ‘Sarvalokeśvareśvara’ and ‘Sarvaśreṣṭha’.