Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

नोचेज्जगत्त्रयं देव नूनं नाशममुपेष्यति । यद्येतद्भूतले लिङ्गं पतति स्थास्यति प्रभो

Transliteration

nocejjagattrayaṃ deva nūnaṃ nāśamamupeṣyati | yadyetadbhūtale liṅgaṃ patati sthāsyati prabho

Translation

さもなくば、神よ、三界は必ずや滅びに至りましょう、主よ——このリンガが地に落ち、そのまま留まるならば。

Word by Word

• no: not
• no: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (Condition marker/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्त/यदि (conditional particle: if)

• jagat-trayam: the three worlds
• jagat-trayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (three worlds)

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• nūnam: certainly
• nūnam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (adverb: certainly)

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• amupeṣyati: will go to, will meet with
• amupeṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu + √i (इ धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्त/यदि (if)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (to liṅgam)

• bhūtale: on the earth/ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• patati: falls
• patati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (पत् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sthāsyati: will stand/remain
• sthāsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• prabho: O Lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devāḥ (the gods), addressing Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic vision: the liṅga poised as if slipping, the three worlds trembling—devas alarmed, skies darkening—yet the Lord’s presence can avert catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devāḥ
• Liṅga
• Jagat-traya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred symbols like the Liṅga are presented as pillars of cosmic order; neglect or collapse of dharma leads to worldly disorder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha is framed around the Liṅga’s presence; the broader Adhyāya situates this within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s sacred-geography discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated, but the concern implies continual protection, installation, and worship of the Liṅga.