Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 161

Devanagari script

मरीचिपाः पुष्पजं च ज्ञानगम्येति नाम च । शकृताः शकृतं लिंगं ज्ञानज्ञेयेति नाम च

Transliteration

marīcipāḥ puṣpajaṃ ca jñānagamyeti nāma ca | śakṛtāḥ śakṛtaṃ liṃgaṃ jñānajñeyeti nāma ca

Translation

マリーチパたちは花より生じたリンガを造り、その名を「ジュニャーナガミヤ」（真の智慧によって到達し得る御方）と宣した。シャクリタたちは糞より成るリンガを造り、「ジュニャーナジュニェーヤ」（智慧によって知らるべき御方）と名づけた。

Word by Word

• marīcipāḥ: the drinkers of rays (Marīcipas)
• marīcipāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marīci + pā (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘pā’ = ‘drinker’

• puṣpajam: born of flowers
• puṣpajam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣpa + ja (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• jñānagamya: Jñānagamya
• jñānagamya: Viśeṣya (Name/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna + gamya (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘to be reached/known by’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• nāma: (is) the name
• nāma: Pradhāna (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śakṛtāḥ: those of dung; Śakṛtas (a class/name)
• śakṛtāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• śakṛtam: made of dung
• śakṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• jñānajñeya: Jñānajñeya
• jñānajñeya: Viśeṣya (Name/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna + jñeya (कृदन्त; √jñā/ज्ञा + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘to be known by knowledge’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• nāma: (is) the name
• nāma: Pradhāna (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānagamya-liṅga (puṣpaja) and Jñānajñeya-liṅga (śakṛtaja)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages called Marīcipas craft a liṅga from blossoms, fragrant and bright; another group, Śakṛtas, forms a liṅga from sanctified cow-dung, performing reverent worship, highlighting knowledge as the true purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Marīcipāḥ
• Śakṛtāḥ
• Śiva (Liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is worshipped through many forms; the inner purity of knowledge and devotion is emphasized over external material.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a liṅga-name catalogue within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa context rather than praising a single named tīrtha in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, or snāna is stated here; it records the making and naming of liṅgas.