Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

लीयंते च विलीयंते महेशे लिंगरूपिणि । प्रकृत्यंतर्गतं लिंगं लिंगस्यांतर्गता च सा

Transliteration

līyaṃte ca vilīyaṃte maheśe liṃgarūpiṇi | prakṛtyaṃtargataṃ liṃgaṃ liṃgasyāṃtargatā ca sā

Translation

അവ ലിംഗരൂപ മഹേശനിൽ ലീനമായി വിലീനമാകുന്നു. ലിംഗം പ്രകൃതിയുടെ അന്തർഗതം; ആ പ്രകൃതിയും ലിംഗത്തിന്റെ അന്തർഗതമാണ്.

Word by Word

• लीयन्ते: merge/dissolve
• लीयन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ली (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

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

• विलीयन्ते: dissolve completely
• विलीयन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ली (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• महेशे: in Maheśa (Śiva)
• महेशे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular)

• लिङ्गरूपिणि: in the one having the form of the liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपिणि: Adhikarana (Locus-qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (adjective) महेशे इति विशेष्यस्य

• प्रकृत्यन्तर्गतं: entered within Prakṛti
• प्रकृत्यन्तर्गतं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर्गत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nominative/accusative), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• लिङ्गं: the liṅga
• लिङ्गं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nominative/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), षष्ठी (genitive), एकवचन (singular)

• अन्तर्गतā: entered within
• अन्तर्गतā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर्गत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (adjective) सा इति

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

• सा: she (that śakti)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience seeking māhātmya and tattva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic spheres stream inward and vanish into a liṅga of Maheśa; simultaneously, prakṛti appears as a surrounding veil that is itself contained within the liṅga—an image of mutual containment.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśa
• Liṅga
• Prakṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation and nature are not outside Śiva; the Liṅga and Prakṛti interpenetrate, culminating in dissolution into Maheśa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra’s Liṅga-centered sanctity is reinforced as the theological ground for understanding dissolution and immanence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the emphasis is doctrinal—laya in the Liṅga and the Liṅga–Prakṛti relation.