Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

चिरकालं स संसारे संसरेद्दुःखसंकुले । रामेश्वरमहालिंगं ये पश्यंति सकृन्नराः

Transliteration

cirakālaṃ sa saṃsāre saṃsaredduḥkhasaṃkule | rāmeśvaramahāliṃgaṃ ye paśyaṃti sakṛnnarāḥ

Translation

ദുഃഖസങ്കുലമായ ഈ സംസാരത്തിൽ അവൻ ദീർഘകാലം അലഞ്ഞുതിരിയും—രാമേശ്വര മഹാലിംഗത്തെ ഒരിക്കൽ മാത്രം ദർശിച്ച് (ഹൃദയത്തിൽ ധരിക്കാതെ) കഴിയുന്നവൻ।

Word by Word

• चिरकालम्: for a long time
• चिरकालम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-एकवचनान्तं कालवाचकं क्रियाविशेषणम् (accusative of duration)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• संसारे: in the world (saṃsāra)
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• संसरेत्: would wander / transmigrate
• संसरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकारः (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• दुःखसंकुले: crowded with sorrow
• दुःखसंकुले: Adhikarana (Qualifier of locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः: दुःखैः संकुलः

• रामेश्वरमहालिङ्गम्: the great liṅga of Rāmeśvara
• रामेश्वरमहालिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामेश्वर + महा + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्

• पश्यन्ति: see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: आवृत्ति-बोधक-अव्ययम् (adverb: once)

• नराः: men / people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara-mahāliṅga

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler glimpses the liṅga and walks away distracted; behind him stretches a long road of saṃsāra with thorny paths and sorrowful figures, while the temple remains a luminous refuge he has not embraced.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmeśvara (Mahāliṅga)
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and darśana should mature into sustained devotion; mere momentary seeing without inner change leaves one in suffering-filled saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram at Setu, through the darśana of the Rāmeśvara Mahāliṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing) is implied, with the subtext that it should be accompanied by ongoing worship/remembering.