Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 126

Devanagari script

तस्माल्लिङ्गार्चनं भाव्यं सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम् । लिङ्गरूपी शिवो भूत्वा त्रायते संचराचरम्

Transliteration

tasmālliṅgārcanaṃ bhāvyaṃ sarveṣāmapi dehinām | liṅgarūpī śivo bhūtvā trāyate saṃcarācaram

Translation

C’est pourquoi le culte du Liṅga doit être pratiqué par tous les êtres incarnés. Śiva, se manifestant sous la forme du Liṅga, protège et délivre tout ce qui se meut et tout ce qui demeure immobile.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore / from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Reason/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लिङ्गार्चनम्: worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गार्चनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: लिङ्ग + अर्चन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भाव्यम्: should be done / is to be performed
• भाव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्—‘कर्तव्यम्/should be done’

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• लिङ्गरूपी: having the form of the liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग-रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: लिङ्ग + रूपिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘शिवः’ इति

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having become’

• त्रायते: protects
• त्रायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्रा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• संचराचरम्: the moving and the unmoving (all beings)
• संचराचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-चर-अचर (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: चर + अचर, उपसर्ग/समुच्चय ‘स’ सहित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees of varied stations (householder, ascetic, pilgrim) offering water, bilva leaves, and lamps to a liṅga; Śiva’s protective aura expands to animals, trees, mountains—cara and acara under one sheltering presence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Universal accessibility of Śiva’s grace is emphasized: liṅga-worship is a direct, protective, and liberating practice for all.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra/Kedarnath, where the liṅga-form of Śiva is central to the tīrtha’s Mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana—ritual worship of Śiva in the liṅga form (typically including offerings, abhiṣeka, and mantra-japa as per tradition).