Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 188

Devanagari script

तार्क्ष्यं पृथुस्तथा लिंगं सहस्रचरणाभिधम् । पक्षिणो व्योमलिंगं च नाम सर्वात्मकेति च

Transliteration

tārkṣyaṃ pṛthustathā liṃgaṃ sahasracaraṇābhidham | pakṣiṇo vyomaliṃgaṃ ca nāma sarvātmaketi ca

Translation

താർക്ഷ്യൻ (ഗരുഡൻ)യും പൃഥുവും ‘സഹസ്രചരണ’ എന്ന ലിംഗത്തെ ആരാധിക്കുന്നു. പക്ഷികൾ ‘വ്യോമലിംഗം’ പൂജിക്കുന്നു; അതിന്റെ നാമം ‘സർവാത്മൻ’ ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तार्क्ष्यम्: Tārkṣya (Garuda)
• तार्क्ष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• पृथुः: Pṛthu
• पृथुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपपद (also/likewise)

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

• सहस्रचरणाभिधम्: called ‘thousand-footed’
• सहस्रचरणाभिधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र-चरण-अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गम् इति विशेष्यस्य)

• पक्षिणः: birds
• पक्षिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• व्योमलिङ्गम्: the ‘sky-liṅga’
• व्योमलिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योम-लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• नाम: as the name (namely)
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—नाम-निर्देश (as the name/namely)

• सर्वात्मके: ‘Sarvātmakā’/‘Sarvātmakam’ (all-souled)
• सर्वात्मके: Karma (Name/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; इति-शब्देन नामरूपेण (quoted name)

• इति: thus/so-called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—उद्धरण-चिह्न (thus/so-called)

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), addressing the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Garuḍa (Tārkṣya) and King Pṛthu worship a towering liṅga labeled ‘Sahasracaraṇa’; flocks of birds circle a translucent, sky-hued liṅga ‘Sarvātman’ suspended amid clouds and light.

Characters & Entities

• Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• Pṛthu
• Sahasracaraṇa
• Birds
• Sarvātman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva pervades sky and earth; His cosmic form is praised through universal epithets like Sarvātman.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular pilgrimage site is named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It suggests contemplative worship of a ‘vyoma-liṅga’ (sky/space symbol), aligning worship with all-pervading reality.