Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

लिंगार्चनं न यत्रैव यत्र नास्ति जपादिकम् । यत्र भक्तिविहीना वै भूतानां तान्गृहान्वदेत्

Transliteration

liṃgārcanaṃ na yatraiva yatra nāsti japādikam | yatra bhaktivihīnā vai bhūtānāṃ tāngṛhānvadet

Translation

Là où il n'y a pas d'adoration du Linga, où le japa et les rites connexes sont absents, et où la dévotion fait défaut, ces maisons doivent être appelées les demeures des bhūtas (hantées par les esprits).

Word by Word

• लिङ्गार्चनम्: worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गार्चनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘लिङ्गस्य अर्चनम्’ (neuter nom/acc sg)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative locative adverb: where)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (present indicative, 3rd sg)

• जपादिकम्: japa and the like (rites)
• जपादिकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थे ‘जपः आदिः यस्य तत्’ (neuter nom/acc sg)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• भक्तिविहीनाः: devoid of devotion
• भक्तिविहीनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भक्त्या विहीनाः’ (masc nom pl)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• भूतानाम्: of spirits/beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter genitive plural)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc accusative plural)

• गृहान्: houses
• गृहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter accusative plural)

• वदेत्: should call/say
• वदेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (optative, 3rd sg)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: one house with a clean liṅga-altar, lamp, and japa practitioner radiating calm; another neglected house appears shadowed, labeled metaphorically as bhūta-gṛha.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Bhūta (spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A home becomes spiritually protected through bhakti, japa, and Śaiva worship; their absence is portrayed as inviting subtle disorder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, presented as a Śaiva-sacred landscape where Liṅga worship is central.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana (Liṅga worship) and japa (mantra repetition), along with sustained devotion (bhakti).