Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सप्तविंशतिलिंगानां प्राप्नोति च तथा फलम् । पूजितानां द्विजश्रेष्ठा नगरे यानि तानि च

Transliteration

saptaviṃśatiliṃgānāṃ prāpnoti ca tathā phalam | pūjitānāṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā nagare yāni tāni ca

Translation

おお、二度生まれの最勝者よ。彼は、都において礼拝される二十七のリンガを供養するのと同等の功徳を得る。

Word by Word

• सप्तविंशतिलिङ्गानाम्: of the twenty-seven liṅgas
• सप्तविंशतिलिङ्गानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तविंशति + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सप्तविंशतिः संख्या + लिङ्ग)

• प्राप्नोति: attains/obtains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/उपमानवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• पूजितानाम्: of those that are worshipped
• पूजितानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; नपुंसक/पुं/स्त्री—सामान्यरूप (context: लिङ्गानाम्)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (श्रेष्ठः द्विजः)

• नगरे: in the city
• नगरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• यानि: which (ones)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• तानि: those (ones)
• तानि: Karta (Correlative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a Māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Twenty-seven liṅgas of Nāgara (nagara-liṅga-sapta-viṃśati)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dwijas/ṛṣis addressed as ‘dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic sacred cityscape with twenty-seven liṅga shrines indicated around a central sanctum; the worshipper’s single offering radiates outward as if touching all shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (liṅga)
• Nāgara (city/holy settlement)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion concentrated at a sanctified place yields amplified merit—worship at the holy city is equated with worship of many liṅgas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred ‘nagara’ (holy city) associated with Nāgareśvara traditions within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā (worship of Śiva’s liṅga) and its stated equivalence in merit to worshipping twenty-seven liṅgas.