Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तस्माद्वरं लिंगरूपं शालग्रामगतं हरिम् । येऽर्चयंति नरा भक्त्या न तेषां दुःखयातनाः

Transliteration

tasmādvaraṃ liṃgarūpaṃ śālagrāmagataṃ harim | ye'rcayaṃti narā bhaktyā na teṣāṃ duḥkhayātanāḥ

Translation

ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶಾಲಗ್ರಾಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಲಿಂಗಸಮಾನ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿತನಾದ ಹರಿಯನ್ನು ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಅರ್ಚಿಸುವುದೇ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ; ಹೀಗೆ ಪೂಜಿಸುವವರಿಗೆ ದುಃಖಯಾತನೆಗಳು ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ।

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचनम्

• varam: better
• varam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'is better')

• liṅgarūpam: having the form of a liṅga
• liṅgarūpam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (liṅgasya rūpam), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying harim)

• śālagrāmagatam: gone into/abiding in Śālagrāma
• śālagrāmagatam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śālagrāma (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √gam + ta)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (śālagrāme gataḥ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying harim)

• harim: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• harim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• arcayanti: worship
• arcayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• narāḥ: men/people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; ye इत्यस्य समनाधिकरणम् (apposition)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनम्

• na: not/no
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• teṣām: for them/of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्

• duḥkhayātanāḥ: painful torments
• duḥkhayātanāḥ: Karta (Subject of implied 'bhavanti'/exist)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + yātanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (duḥkhasya yātanā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Gālava (continuing instruction within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāśūdra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers water and tulasī to a black Śālagrāma stone shaped like a smooth liṅga; behind, a softened vision of Hari’s presence dispels shadowy forms symbolizing torments.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Śālagrāma
• liṅga-rūpa
• bhakti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship of Hari in Śālagrāma is presented as a supreme refuge that removes suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śālagrāma (as a sacred presence) is central; the broader narrative current is tied to the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) of Hari as Śālagrāma with bhakti.