Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तस्मादत्र महासेन लिंगं स्थापितुमर्हसि । यदुक्तमेतदश्लीलं यदि किंचन चात्र चेत्

Transliteration

tasmādatra mahāsena liṃgaṃ sthāpitumarhasi | yaduktametadaślīlaṃ yadi kiṃcana cātra cet

Translation

Ainsi donc, ô Mahāsena, il te convient d’établir ici un Liṅga. Et si quelque parole prononcée en ce lieu paraît inconvenante d’une manière quelconque—

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Causal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-प्रयोग; हेतुवाचक ‘therefore/from that’)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb of place)

• महासेन: O Mahāsena
• महासेन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महासेन (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• स्थापितुम्: to install
• स्थापितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन् (Infinitive), अव्ययभाव; ‘to establish/install’

• अर्हसि: you ought/are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• उक्तम्: said
• उक्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु)-क्त, कृदन्त ‘उक्त’
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘said/spoken’ (predicate with ‘यत्’)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘this’ (apposition to ‘यत्’)

• अश्लीलम्: improper/indecent
• अश्लीलम्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्लील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate adjective)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त/conditional particle ‘if’)

• किञ्चन: anything
• किञ्चन: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् + चन (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; अनिश्चित (indefinite)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb of place)

• चेत्: if/if indeed
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त/conditional particle; ‘if indeed’)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing Skanda as Mahāsena)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāsena (Skanda)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-figure addresses Mahāsena, pointing to a chosen spot for liṅga installation; Mahāsena stands attentive, spear at rest, hands in reverence; the ground subtly glows, indicating imminent kṣetra-consecration.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāsena (Skanda)
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred establishment of a Śiva-liṅga is upheld as a dharmic act, to be done with reverence and propriety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific place is implied by “here (atra)”, but the shloka itself does not name the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā)—the establishment of a Śiva-liṅga.