Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच । एतल्लिंगं मदीयं ये स्पृष्ट्वा यास्यंति संयुगे । अवध्यास्ते भविष्यन्ति यावत्संवत्सरं शुभे

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca | etalliṃgaṃ madīyaṃ ye spṛṣṭvā yāsyaṃti saṃyuge | avadhyāste bhaviṣyanti yāvatsaṃvatsaraṃ śubhe

Translation

Le Seigneur Bienheureux dit : «Ceux qui touchent ce liṅga qui est le Mien, puis vont au combat, seront invincibles, ô toi l’auspicieuse, pendant une année entière.»

Word by Word

• śrī-bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• śrī-bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधन-पूर्वक-उपाधि (honorific epithet)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

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

• madīyam: my
• madīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; स्वत्ववाचक-विशेषण

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• spṛṣṭvā: having touched
• spṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• yāsyanti: will go
• yāsyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• saṃyuge: in battle
• saṃyuge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• avadhyāḥ: invincible, not to be slain
• avadhyāḥ: Kartṛ-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vadhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; नञ्-प्रत्यय (negation)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अन्वय-समर्थक (correlative pronoun)

• bhaviṣyanti: will be
• bhaviṣyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• yāvat: as long as, until
• yāvat: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक (until/as long as)

• saṃvatsaram: a year
• saṃvatsaram: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time measure/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण

• śubhe: O auspicious one
• śubhe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; संबोधन/सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative-like usage)

Speaker

Śiva (Śrī Bhagavān)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘śubhe’ (auspicious one); context suggests Aditi or a devotee interlocutor within the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant liṅga in a sanctum; a warrior-devotee touches it reverently before marching to battle, while a divine presence (ākāśavāṇī/īśvara) blesses him with invincibility for a year.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-liṅga
• Aditi (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with the sacred (liṅga-sparśa) symbolizes surrender and alignment with Śiva’s protection, making dharmic action fearless.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Amareśvara—where Śiva’s own liṅga grants protective power to those who approach it with purpose.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Touching (sparśa) the Lord’s liṅga before entering battle; the promised fruit is invincibility for one year.