Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

न प्रापुर्लोकनाथं ते कृत्वा यः प्रतिमाकृतिम् । तपसाराधयामासुः सर्वभूतहृदिस्थितम्

Transliteration

na prāpurlokanāthaṃ te kṛtvā yaḥ pratimākṛtim | tapasārādhayāmāsuḥ sarvabhūtahṛdisthitam

Translation

Ils n’atteignirent pas le Seigneur des mondes en façonnant seulement une forme d’image ; au contraire, par l’austérité (tapas), ils adorèrent Celui qui demeure dans le cœur de tous les êtres.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• prāpuḥ: attained/reached
• prāpuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• loka-nātham: the Lord of the world
• loka-nātham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य नाथम्)

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

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having made/done’

• yaḥ: which/that
• yaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• pratimā-kṛtim: an image-form (a made idol)
• pratimā-kṛtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रतिमायाः कृतिम्)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ārādhayāmāsuḥ: they worshipped/propitiated
• ārādhayāmāsuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√radh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative stem ārādhaya-)

• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi-sthitam: dwelling in the hearts of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi-sthitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛd (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वभूतानां हृदि स्थितम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas abandon mere craftsmanship of an idol and instead sit in austere meditation, bodies radiant with tapas, focusing inward on the heart-lotus where Śiva shines.

Characters & Entities

• Lokanātha (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External forms alone are insufficient; true attainment comes through disciplined tapas and worship of the indwelling Lord present in all hearts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but this line itself emphasizes inner realization rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) as the means of ārādhana (propitiatory worship), beyond mere crafting of a pratimā (image).