Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 178

Devanagari script

यवजं देवलो लिंगं पतिमित्येव नाम च । वल्मीकजं च वाल्मीकिश्चिरवासीति नाम च

Transliteration

yavajaṃ devalo liṃgaṃ patimityeva nāma ca | valmīkajaṃ ca vālmīkiściravāsīti nāma ca

Translation

ദേവലൻ യവത്തിൽ നിന്നുണ്ടാക്കിയ ലിംഗം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു; അതിന് ‘പതി’—പ്രഭു—എന്ന നാമം. വാൽമീകി വൽമീകം (ചീമുട്ടി) നിന്നുള്ള ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിച്ചു; അത് ‘ചിരവാസി’—നിത്യവാസി—എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധം.

Word by Word

• यवजम्: made of barley / barley-born
• यवजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यवज (प्रातिपदिक; यव+ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative singular; adjective)

• देवलः: Devala (name of a sage/person)
• देवलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• पतिम्: lord; master
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, accusative singular)

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नाम: by name; called
• नाम: Sambandha (Appellation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः, नामनिर्देशक-अव्यय (indeclinable indicating appellation)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वल्मीकजम्: born from an anthill / anthill-produced
• वल्मीकजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्मीकज (प्रातिपदिक; वल्मीक+ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative singular; adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वाल्मीकिः: Vālmīki (name)
• वाल्मीकिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाल्मीकि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• चिरवासी: long-dweller; one who lives long (as a name)
• चिरवासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिरवासी (प्रातिपदिक; चिर+वासी)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपाधि/नाम (masculine, nominative singular; epithet)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Appellation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक-अव्यय (appellative indeclinable)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two sages in a forested hermitage: Devala shaping a small barley liṅga on a clean altar; Vālmīki near an anthill, reverently forming/adorning an earthen liṅga, with Śiva’s subtle presence implied by aura and bilva leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Devala
• Pati
• Vālmīki
• Valmīka (anthill)
• Ciravāsī
• Śiva (implied by liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence is ‘ever-abiding’—discoverable even in humble earth like an anthill and worshipable through the simplest grains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tirtha is mentioned; the verse highlights sages and their consecrations rather than a pilgrimage locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constructing a Liṅga from barley or earth (anthill) is implied; no further ritual details are given.