Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वापतद्भूमौ लिङ्गमालिङ्ग्य भारत । गतसत्त्वः स विप्रेन्द्रः समाश्रित्य सुरेश्वरम्

Transliteration

evamuktvāpatadbhūmau liṅgamāliṅgya bhārata | gatasattvaḥ sa viprendraḥ samāśritya sureśvaram

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ്, ഹേ ഭാരതാ, ആ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ നിലത്തു വീണു; ലിംഗത്തെ ആലിംഗനം ചെയ്ത്, ശക്തി ക്ഷയിച്ച്, സുരേശ്വരനിൽ ശരണം പ്രാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• uktvā: having spoken
• uktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having said’

• apatat: fell
• apatat: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

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

• āliṅgya: having embraced
• āliṅgya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā+√liṅg/√liṅg (धातु ‘to embrace’) + य (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष)
• Form: ल्यबन्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having embraced’

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• gata-sattvaḥ: faint; bereft of strength
• gata-sattvaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (√gam धातु, क्त) + sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त विशेषण; तत्पुरुष समास (सत्त्वं गतः = whose consciousness/strength has gone)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• viprendraḥ: chief Brahmin
• viprendraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष समास (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः = chief of Brahmins)

• samāśritya: having taken refuge in
• samāśritya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā+√śri (धातु) + य (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having taken refuge in/approached’

• sureśvaram: the Lord of gods
• sureśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sureśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (addressing 'Bhārata'; contextual Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-sthāna in Revā-kṣetra

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa collapses at the base of a liṅga and embraces it tightly; his body slack with exhaustion, yet his face turned upward in surrender.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Śiva (Sureśvara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Clinging to the liṅga symbolizes complete surrender—devotion becomes the devotee’s final and highest shelter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A liṅga-associated sacred spot in the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative, later renowned as Kohanasve Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit liṅga-śaraṇāgati: approaching and holding to Śiva’s emblem as an act of refuge and devotion.