Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मेशं लिंगमुत्तमम् । यस्य स्मरणमात्रेण वाजपेयफलं भवेत्

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi brahmeśaṃ liṃgamuttamam | yasya smaraṇamātreṇa vājapeyaphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇനി ഞാൻ ബ്രഹ്മേശം എന്ന പരമോത്തമ ലിംഗത്തെ പ്രസ്താവിക്കും; അതിന്റെ സ്മരണ മാത്രത്താൽ വാജപേയയാഗഫലം ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अतः: thereafter/therefore
• अतः: Discourse adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/अनन्तरार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (therefore/thereafter)

• परम्: next/further
• परम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (accusative used adverbially): further/next

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ब्रह्मेशम्: Brahmeśa (Lord Brahmā/Śiva as Brahmeśa)
• ब्रह्मेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मा च ईशः/ब्रह्मणः ईशः इति (कर्मधारय-प्राय)

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

• उत्तमम्: supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लिङ्गम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• स्मरणमात्रेण: by mere remembrance
• स्मरणमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—स्मरणस्य मात्रम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• वाजपेयफलम्: the fruit of the Vājapeya sacrifice
• वाजपेयफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजपेय + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—वाजपेयं यज्ञः तस्य फलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• भवेत्: would occur/be obtained
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmeśa-liṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, radiant and authoritative, announces the forthcoming glory of the Brahmeśa liṅga; the liṅga is envisioned as luminous, with Brahmā and Īśa motifs subtly present.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brahmeśa (Liṅga)
• Vājapeya (yajña)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance (smaraṇa) of a holy Śaiva form can bestow great merit, even comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the Brahmeśa Liṅga; the associated tīrtha is detailed in the following verses of the same adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed here; the stated practice is smaraṇa—devotional remembrance of Brahmeśa.