Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

दुःस्थितं सुस्थितं वापि शिवलिंगं न चालयेत् । इति मत्वा द्विजेन्द्रोऽसौ नैव तानि विसर्जयेत्

Transliteration

duḥsthitaṃ susthitaṃ vāpi śivaliṃgaṃ na cālayet | iti matvā dvijendro'sau naiva tāni visarjayet

Translation

«Qu’un Śiva-liṅga soit mal placé ou bien placé, on ne doit pas le déplacer.» Tenant ce principe, ce brāhmaṇa éminent n’abandonna pas ces liṅgas.

Word by Word

• दुःस्थितम्: ill-placed
• दुःस्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम् — विशेषणम् (qualifying शिवलिंगम्) — 'ill-placed'

• सुस्थितम्: well-placed
• सुस्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम् — विशेषणम् (qualifying शिवलिंगम्) — 'well-placed'

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle) — 'or'

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अपि-कारक निपात (particle) — 'even/also'

• शिवलिंगम्: Śiva-liṅga
• शिवलिंगम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवलिंग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम् — 'Śiva-liṅga'

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle) — 'not'

• चालयेत्: should move
• चालयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चल् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्; causative sense in usage 'to move' — 'should not move'

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle) — 'thus'

• मत्वा: having considered
• मत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), धातुः √मन् (to think) — 'having thought/considered'

• द्विजेन्द्रः: the chief Brahmin
• द्विजेन्द्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — 'the best of twice-born (Brahmin)'

• असौ: that one
• असौ: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — सर्वनाम (pronoun) — 'that (man)'

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध — 'not'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle) — 'indeed/just'

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचनम् — सर्वनाम — 'those (things)'

• विसर्जयेत्: should abandon
• विसर्जयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-सृज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम् — 'should abandon/let go'

Speaker

Narrator (implied Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta in the Nāgara-khaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa stands before multiple liṅgas, hands folded, choosing restraint; nearby attendants suggest moving an awkwardly placed liṅga, but he refuses, honoring the rule of non-disturbance.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-liṅga
• dvijendra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for consecrated sacred forms: once a liṅga is established, it should not be casually moved, honoring stability in worship and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgara-khaṇḍa context points to the Nāgareśvara-liṅga area and its sacred geography, where liṅga establishment becomes a source of lasting merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction: do not disturb or relocate a Śiva-liṅga, whether it appears well-placed or not.