Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 169

Devanagari script

राहुश्च रामठं लिंगं नाम गम्येति कीर्तयन् । लेप्यलिंगं तथा लक्ष्मीर्हरिनेत्रेति नाम च

Transliteration

rāhuśca rāmaṭhaṃ liṃgaṃ nāma gamyeti kīrtayan | lepyaliṃgaṃ tathā lakṣmīrharinetreti nāma ca

Translation

രാഹു ‘രാമഠ’ എന്ന ലിംഗം നിർമ്മിച്ച് അതിനെ ‘ഗമ്യ’ (സുലഭമായി പ്രാപ്യമാകുന്ന) എന്നു കീർത്തിച്ചു. അതുപോലെ ലക്ഷ്മി ലേപിത (പൂശിയ) ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് അതിന് ‘ഹരിനേത്ര’ എന്നു നാമകരണം ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• rāhuḥ: Rāhu
• rāhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• rāmaṭham: Rāmaṭha (name)
• rāmaṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāmaṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; संज्ञा (proper name)

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

• nāma: name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; नामशब्दः

• gamya-iti: “Gāmya” (thus)
• gamya-iti: Viśeṣaṇa (Name/संज्ञा-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gamya (कृदन्त; √gam/गम्, यत्) + iti (अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (to be approached) + इति नामनिर्देश

• kīrtayan: praising/reciting
• kīrtayan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त, शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• lepya-liṅgam: the smearable/liṅga to be anointed
• lepya-liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lepya (कृदन्त; √lip/लिप्, यत्) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (lepyam liṅgam = to be smeared liṅga)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: likewise)

• lakṣmīḥ: Lakṣmī
• lakṣmīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• harinetra-iti: “Harinetra” (Hari’s eye)
• harinetra-iti: Viśeṣaṇa (Name/संज्ञा-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + netra (प्रातिपदिक) + iti (अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (hareḥ netram) + इति नामनिर्देश

• nāma: name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; नामशब्दः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāhu, dark and eclipse-hued, installs a rugged liṅga and sings its praise as ‘Gamya’; Lakṣmī, radiant, fashions a smooth plastered liṅga named ‘Harinetra,’ with subtle Viṣṇu iconography reflected in Śiva’s third-eye motif.

Characters & Entities

• Rāhu
• Lakṣmī
• Gamya
• Harinetra
• Śiva (Liṅga)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is ‘gamya’—accessible to devotees—and the Harinetra epithet gestures to harmony between Śiva and Hari.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is explicitly present in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The making of a lepyaliṅga (coated/plastered liṅga) is mentioned, but without step-by-step ritual details.