Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

एतदेव परं कृत्यं सर्वलोकसुखावहम् । स्थापितानि च यान्येव मंत्रै राक्षससंभवैः

Transliteration

etadeva paraṃ kṛtyaṃ sarvalokasukhāvaham | sthāpitāni ca yānyeva maṃtrai rākṣasasaṃbhavaiḥ

Translation

Ceci seul est le devoir suprême, qui apporte le bien à tous les mondes : s’occuper de ces liṅga qui furent établis par des mantras issus d’une origine rākṣasa.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karta/Topic (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• eva: indeed / only
• eva: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• param: supreme / highest
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (पर-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कृत्यम्)

• kṛtyam: task / duty
• kṛtyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (कृत्य-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarvalokasukhāvaham: bringing happiness to all worlds
• sarvalokasukhāvaham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व) + loka (लोक) + sukha (सुख) + āvaha (आवह-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद/षष्ठीभाव: 'सर्वलोकानां सुखम् आवहति'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कृत्यम्)

• sthāpitāni: established / set up
• sthāpitāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + ni (उपसर्ग)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (यानि)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• yāni: which (ones)
• yāni: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक

• mantraiḥ: by mantras
• mantraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (मन्त्र-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• rākṣasasaṃbhavaiḥ: originating from demons
• rākṣasasaṃbhavaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (सम्भव-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: 'राक्षसानां सम्भवाः'); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मन्त्रैः)

Speaker

Dūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A doctrinal-sounding conclusion: this is the highest duty, welfare-bringing to all worlds—addressing liṅgas installed with rākṣasa-origin mantras.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Mantra
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Public spiritual welfare depends on maintaining sanctity and right ritual foundations in places of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it emphasizes the general principle within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A corrective action regarding improperly installed shrines/mantras is implied as the ‘highest duty.’