Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

ग्रामद्बहिः स्थितं लिंगं ग्रामाच्छतगुणं फलम् । ब्राह्मच्छतगुणं पुण्यमरण्ये लिंगमद्भुतम्

Transliteration

grāmadbahiḥ sthitaṃ liṃgaṃ grāmācchataguṇaṃ phalam | brāhmacchataguṇaṃ puṇyamaraṇye liṃgamadbhutam

Translation

ഗ്രാമത്തിന് പുറത്തുള്ള ലിംഗം, ഗ്രാമത്തിലുള്ള ലിംഗത്തേക്കാൾ ശതഗുണ ഫലം നൽകുന്നു; അതിലും ശതഗുണ പുണ്യം അരണ്യത്തിലെ ലിംഗത്തിൽ—വനത്തിലെ ലിംഗം അത്ഭുതമാണ്।

Word by Word

• ग्रामात्: from the village
• ग्रामात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place: outside)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु); कृदन्त: स्थित (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to लिङ्गम्)

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय (topic)

• ग्रामात्: than (from) the village
• ग्रामात्: Apādāna (Source/Comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादान (comparison/source)

• शत-गुणम्: hundredfold
• शत-गुणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karta (Predicate/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• ब्राह्मात्: than (from) the Brahma-(region/level)
• ब्राह्मात्: Apādāna (Source/Comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादान (comparison/source)

• शत-गुणम्: hundredfold
• शत-गुणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to पुण्यम्)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Predicate/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• अरण्ये: in the forest
• अरण्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, marvelous
• अद्भुतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three-panel visual: (1) village shrine with crowd, (2) solitary liṅga just outside village boundary under a tree, (3) deep forest liṅga on a rock with sages—each panel annotated by ‘100x’ style symbolism through repeated lamps or lotuses.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Araṇya (forest)
• Grāma (village)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remoteness and austerity of place amplify worship’s merit, reflecting the purāṇic valuation of tapas-saturated landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Forest and out-of-village liṅga-sthānas within Kedāra sacred terrain are praised as especially potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prefer worship at liṅgas outside settlements and especially in forests for multiplied spiritual fruit.