Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

साक्षाल्लिंगार्चनं येन कृतमस्ति महात्मना । ज्ञानज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं यद्यत्परममद्भुतम् । तत्कृतं रावणेनैव सर्वेषां दुरतिक्रमम्

Transliteration

sākṣālliṃgārcanaṃ yena kṛtamasti mahātmanā | jñānajñeyaṃ jñānagamyaṃ yadyatparamamadbhutam | tatkṛtaṃ rāvaṇenaiva sarveṣāṃ duratikramam

Translation

ആ മഹാത്മാവ് സാക്ഷാൽ ശിവലിംഗത്തെ പൂജിച്ചു. ജ്ഞാനത്താൽ അറിയേണ്ടതും ജ്ഞാനത്താൽ പ്രാപിക്കേണ്ടതുമായ അത്ഭുതകരമായതെല്ലാം രാവണൻ സാധിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• sākṣāt: directly, in person
• sākṣāt: Sambandha/Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• liṅga-arcanaṃ: liṅga-worship
• liṅga-arcanaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष — neuter nominative singular; 'worship of the liṅga'

• yena: by whom/whereby
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन — instrumental singular; relative pronoun

• kṛtam: done, performed
• kṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — neuter nominative singular; PPP used predicatively ('done')

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — present indicative 3rd person singular

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय — masculine instrumental singular; 'by the great-souled (one)'

• jñāna-jñeyam: knowable (through knowledge)
• jñāna-jñeyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna + jñeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — neuter singular; 'that which is to be known by knowledge'

• jñāna-gamyam: attainable (by knowledge)
• jñāna-gamyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna + gamya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — neuter singular; 'attainable through knowledge'

• yat: whatever
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक — neuter singular relative pronoun ('whatever')

• yat: whatever (all that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition) — neuter singular

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण — neuter singular adjective

• adbhutam: wonder, marvel
• adbhutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन — neuter singular; predicate/object in apposition

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative) — neuter singular ('that')

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — neuter singular; 'done' (elliptic predicate)

• rāvaṇena: by Rāvaṇa
• rāvaṇena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन — masculine instrumental singular

• eva: alone, indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

• sarveṣām: of all (beings)
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• duratikramam: unsurpassable, hard to cross
• duratikramam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + atikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष — neuter singular; 'hard to surpass'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokarṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Divine assembly and audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa, depicted as a powerful ascetic-king, performs immediate, intense worship before a radiant liṅga; the scene suggests that the liṅga embodies the summit of knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Liṅga
• Śiva (implied through Liṅga worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liṅga-worship is exalted as a direct means to profound attainment; yet greatness must mature into humility and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies Liṅga worship itself within the Kedārakhaṇḍa pilgrimage-theology, without naming a single shrine in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana (ritual worship of Śiva’s Liṅga) is explicitly mentioned.