Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा योऽभ्यर्चयेद्देवं कोटीश्वरमनन्यधीः । कोटिलिंगार्चनफलं व्यक्तं तस्योपजायते

Transliteration

snātvā yo'bhyarcayeddevaṃ koṭīśvaramananyadhīḥ | koṭiliṃgārcanaphalaṃ vyaktaṃ tasyopajāyate

Translation

സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് അനന്യചിത്തത്തോടെ കോടീശ്വര ദേവനെ അർച്ചിക്കുന്നവന്, വ്യക്തമായി കോടി ലിംഗാർച്ചനയുടെ ഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having bathed

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• अभ्यर्चयेत्: should worship
• अभ्यर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवम्: the god (deity)
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• कोटीश्वरम्: Koṭīśvara (Lord of crores)
• कोटीश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कोटीनाम् ईश्वरः)

• अनन्यधीः: with undivided mind
• अनन्यधीः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्य + धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अनन्या धीः यस्य) used as epithet of यः

• कोटिलिङ्गार्चनफलम्: the fruit of worshipping crores of liṅgas
• कोटिलिङ्गार्चनफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + लिङ्ग + अर्चन + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कोटि-लिङ्गानाम् अर्चनस्य फलम्)

• व्यक्तम्: manifest, clearly
• व्यक्तम्: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate adjective qualifying फलम्

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• उपजायते: arises for him / accrues
• उपजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭīśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, freshly bathed, stands before Koṭīśvara liṅga in deep concentration; the liṅga radiates, and in the aura appear countless faint liṅgas symbolizing ‘koṭi-liṅgārcana-phala’.

Characters & Entities

• Koṭīśvara
• Snāna
• Liṅga
• Arcana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed devotion, joined to tīrtha-bathing and Śiva-worship, multiplies merit beyond ordinary measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭitīrtha and its presiding deity Koṭīśvara are praised as uniquely merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) followed by arcana (worship) of Koṭīśvara with ananyadhī (undistracted focus).