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 vénère un liṅga fait de bouse de vache, invoquant (Śiva comme) « Sarvalokeśvareśvara » — le Seigneur de tous les seigneurs des mondes. Les Gandharvas vénèrent un liṅga de bois et le nomment « Sarvaśreṣṭha » (le Meilleur de tous).

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’.