Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

पीठिकारूपसंस्थेन विना तेन सुरोत्तमाः । विष्णुना हि महाभागास्तस्मात्सर्वं विधास्यति

Transliteration

pīṭhikārūpasaṃsthena vinā tena surottamāḥ | viṣṇunā hi mahābhāgāstasmātsarvaṃ vidhāsyati

Translation

Ô le meilleur des dieux, puisque ce culte fut accompli sans l’établissement sous la forme de pīṭhikā, alors Viṣṇu—ô bienheureux—mettra toute chose en juste ordonnance.

Word by Word

• pīṭhikā-rūpa-saṃsthena: by/with the pedestal-form arrangement
• pīṭhikā-rūpa-saṃsthena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīṭhikā (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃstha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (pīṭhikāyāḥ rūpam iti / rūpeṇa saṃsthena)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक-निपातः/पूर्वपद-प्रयोगः; ‘without’ (सह तृतीया/पञ्चमी-सम्बन्धः)

• tena: by/with that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sura-uttamāḥ: the best of the gods
• sura-uttamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (surāṇām uttamāḥ)

• viṣṇunā: by Vishnu
• viṣṇunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपातः (emphasis/indeed)

• mahā-bhāgāḥ: the fortunate ones
• mahā-bhāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (mahān bhāgaḥ yeṣām/mahābhāgāḥ)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः; तस्मात् (ablative used adverbially) = ‘therefore/from that’

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vidhāsyati: will arrange/ordain
• vidhāsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + dhā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Nandin (to the Devas/Suras)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (and the primary frame-audience of the Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a Himalayan sacred precinct, devas discuss an incomplete liṅga establishment lacking the pīṭhikā; the mood is corrective and orderly, anticipating Viṣṇu’s intervention to set rites right.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Liṅga
• Pīṭhikā
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order is preserved through dharmic correction; when worship is incomplete, divine agency restores proper form and balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra remains the narrative locus, with emphasis on correct liṅga establishment associated with Śaiva sacred space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse stresses the necessity of pīṭhikā-rūpa-saṃsthā (proper base/installation) in liṅga worship.