Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

किमत्र क्लिश्यते कायस्तपः कृत्वा सुदारुणम् । सप्तषष्टिषु तीर्थेषु यानि लिंगानि तेषु च

Transliteration

kimatra kliśyate kāyastapaḥ kṛtvā sudāruṇam | saptaṣaṣṭiṣu tīrtheṣu yāni liṃgāni teṣu ca

Translation

Pourquoi tourmenter ici le corps en accomplissant une austérité si terrible ? Dans les soixante-sept tīrthas, les liṅgas qui s’y trouvent—

Word by Word

• किम्: why? what?
• किम्: Prayojana/Question (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (here)

• क्लिश्यते: is tormented, suffers
• क्लिश्यते: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्लिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (present); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is afflicted/tormented)

• कायः: body
• कायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular; object of ‘कृत्वा’)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having done’

• सुदारुणम्: very severe
• सुदारुणम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘तपः’)

• सप्तषष्टिषु: in the sixty-seven
• सप्तषष्टिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या) + षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound: ‘in the sixty-seven’)

• तीर्थेषु: in the sacred fords/places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (locative plural)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (Subject of implied ‘सन्ति’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (relative pronoun; nominative plural)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas, emblems (of Śiva)
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• तेषु: in those
• तेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (locative plural: ‘in those’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (and)

Speaker

Śatānanda (addressing his mother/ascetic woman)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sixty-seven tīrthas (collective)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śatānanda gestures toward a map-like sacred landscape: many tīrthas and liṅga-shrines, contrasting with the mother’s harsh tapas spot.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha (67)
• liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma balances austerity with discernment; sacred geography offers many accessible forms of worship without self-harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A cluster of sixty-seven tīrthas within the kṣetra described in this Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-darśana and tīrtha-visitation are implied as meritorious alternatives or complements to extreme tapas.