Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

महीनगरके लिंगं पातालात्सुमनोहरम् । तुष्टाव देवं प्रयतः स्तुतिं तां शृणु पांडव

Transliteration

mahīnagarake liṃgaṃ pātālātsumanoharam | tuṣṭāva devaṃ prayataḥ stutiṃ tāṃ śṛṇu pāṃḍava

Translation

À Mahī-nagara se trouve un Liṅga d’une beauté suprême, issu de Pātāla. Puis, l’esprit recueilli dans la dévotion, il loua le Seigneur. Écoute cet hymne, ô Pāṇḍava.

Word by Word

• mahī-nagarake: in the city on earth / earthly city
• mahī-nagarake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + nagaraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mahīyāḥ nagarake) अधिकरण

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• pātālāt: from Pātāla (netherworld)
• pātālāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान

• su-manoharam: very charming
• su-manoharam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + manohara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (su + manoharam) विशेषण (liṅgam)

• tuṣṭāva: praised
• tuṣṭāva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stu (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• devam: the god (Lord)
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• prayataḥ: devout, disciplined
• prayataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prayata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)

• stutim: praise, hymn
• stutim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (śṛṇu इत्यस्य)

• tām: that
• tām: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (stutim)

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāṇḍava: O Pāṇḍava
• pāṇḍava: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages; address within verse to a Pāṇḍava indicates the narration is being relayed to a Mahābhārata-era listener in the embedded story

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahī-nagara liṅga (Pātāla-udbhava)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant liṅga emerging from a fissure or sanctified pit symbolizing Pātāla, within a city-temple of Mahī-nagara; a devotee (speaker) stands with folded hands beginning a hymn; a Pāṇḍava listener is invoked to hear.

Characters & Entities

• Mahī-nagara
• Liṅga
• Pātāla
• Pāṇḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred site is authenticated by divine manifestation; the proper response is focused stuti (praise) and attentive listening to dharma-teachings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahī-nagara and its remarkable liṅga said to have emerged from Pātāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti (recitation/praise) is introduced; the actual hymn begins in the next verses.