Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अहो धन्यः कुमारोऽयं महीसागरसंगमे । येन चत्वारी लिंगानि स्तापितानि सुदुर्लभे

Transliteration

aho dhanyaḥ kumāro'yaṃ mahīsāgarasaṃgame | yena catvārī liṃgāni stāpitāni sudurlabhe

Translation

അഹോ! മഹീ–സാഗര സംഗമത്തിൽ ഈ കുമാരൻ ധന്യൻ; അത്യന്തം ദുർലഭമായ നാല് ലിംഗങ്ങൾ അവൻ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• अहो: oh! indeed!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation (सम्बोधन/विस्मय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/प्रशंसा-सूचक निपात (interjection/particle of wonder/praise)

• धन्यः: fortunate, blessed
• धन्यः: Karta (कर्ता) (as predicate adjective of कुमारः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. nom. sg.)

• कुमारः: the prince/young man (Kumāra)
• कुमारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to कुमारः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• महीसागरसंगमे: at the confluence of the earth/land and the ocean (shore)
• महीसागरसंगमे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + सागर + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/समाहारार्थे: मही-सागरयोः संगमः (loc. sg.)

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धि-सर्वनाम (instr. sg.)

• चत्वारि: four
• चत्वारि: Karma (कर्म) (quantifier of लिङ्गानि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (neut. nom./acc. pl.)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (neut. nom./acc. pl.)

• स्थापितानि: were स्थापित/installed
• स्थापितानि: Karma (कर्म) (with implied passive: 'were established')
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच्; स्थापित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (PPP, neut. nom./acc. pl.)

• सुदुर्लभे: in a very rare (place/occasion)
• सुदुर्लभे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण) (locative of circumstance)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (loc. sg.)

Speaker

Nārada (continuing narration of the devas’ words)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīsāgara-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the river’s mouth where fresh waters meet the sea, Kumāra is praised as ‘dhanya’ while four newly established liṅgas stand on the sandy bank with offerings and fluttering flags.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda)
• Mahī
• Sāgara
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Establishing and honoring Śiva’s symbols at holy places is portrayed as a rare, highly meritorious act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama (the confluence of the Mahī river with the ocean).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (the establishment of liṅgas), highlighted through Skanda’s exemplary act.