Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

अतस्तच्छांतये रामो लिंगं रामेश्वराभिधम् । स्थापयामास विधिना वैदिकेन द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

atastacchāṃtaye rāmo liṃgaṃ rāmeśvarābhidham | sthāpayāmāsa vidhinā vaidikena dvijottamāḥ

Translation

ആ ദോഷശാന്തിക്കായി രാമൻ ‘രാമേശ്വര’ എന്ന നാമമുള്ള ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിച്ചു; ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, അത് വൈദികവിധിപ്രകാരം നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (therefore)

• tat: of that
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of that)

• śāntaye: for pacification
• śāntaye: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान (for pacification)

• rāmaḥ: Rāma
• rāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• liṅgam: a liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• rāmeśvarābhidham: named Rāmeśvara
• rāmeśvarābhidham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāma + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + abhidhā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (named Rāmeśvara) — liṅgam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sthāpayāmāsa: installed/caused to be established
• sthāpayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) = ‘स्थापयति’ (he caused to be set/installed)

• vidhinā: by the prescribed rite
• vidhinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण (by means of proper procedure)

• vaidikena: Vedic
• vaidikena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaidika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् — विधिना इत्यस्य

• dvijottamāḥ: the best Brahmins
• dvijottamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (best of the twice-born)

Speaker

Narrator within Setukhaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (explicit address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the seashore, Rāma performs liṅga-pratiṣṭhā: a freshly formed or revealed liṅga on a pedestal, Vedic fire altar nearby, brāhmaṇas chanting, offerings arranged; the ocean and faint Setu line behind. The mood is solemn yet luminous—expiation turning into sanctification.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Rāmeśvara (Liṅga)
• Vedic rites (Vaidika-vidhi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is completed by humility and atonement; devotion to Śiva through liṅga-pratiṣṭhā sanctifies and restores spiritual balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram (Rāmeśvara-kṣetra) at Setu—explicitly through the naming and establishment of the Rāmeśvara liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā performed by Vedic procedure (vaidika-vidhi) as a prāyaścitta for doṣa.