Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

येनास्मद्वचनाच्छीघ्रं तल्लिंगं निदधाति सः । नो चेद्भविष्यति व्यक्तमकाले चापि संक्षयः । त्रैलोक्यस्यापि कृत्स्नस्य सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्

Transliteration

yenāsmadvacanācchīghraṃ talliṃgaṃ nidadhāti saḥ | no cedbhaviṣyati vyaktamakāle cāpi saṃkṣayaḥ | trailokyasyāpi kṛtsnasya satyametanmayoditam

Translation

ഞങ്ങളുടെ വചനം അനുസരിച്ച് ആരെങ്കിലും വേഗത്തിൽ ആ ലിംഗം പുനഃസ്ഥാപിച്ചാൽ, അവൻ തന്നെ ആ ഭയം നീക്കും. അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിശ്ചിതകാലത്തിന് മുമ്പുതന്നെ സമസ്ത ത്രിലോകത്തിനും വ്യക്തമായ സംഹാരം സംഭവിക്കും—ഇത് ഞാൻ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്ന സത്യം.

Word by Word

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — 'by whom/whereby'

• अस्मत्: our
• अस्मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of us/our' (in compound)

• वचनात्: from (our) command
• वचनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — 'from (our) word/command'

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्रम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — qualifying 'liṅgam'

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• निदधाति: places
• निदधाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + धा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद — 'places/sets down'

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नः: not
• नः: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नः (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: if)

• भविष्यति: will occur
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद — 'will be/occur'

• व्यक्तम्: clearly
• व्यक्तम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: clearly, certainly)

• अकाले: at the wrong time
• अकाले: Adhikarana (Temporal locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'at an untimely time'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• संक्षयः: destruction
• संक्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'destruction'

• त्रैलोक्यस्य: of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः — 'of the three worlds'

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• कृत्स्नस्य: entire
• कृत्स्नस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — qualifying 'trailokyasya' ('entire')

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Pratijna (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'truth' / predicate nominal

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'this'

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — 'by me'

• उदितम्: spoken
• उदितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद् + इ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'said/uttered'

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-sthāna in Anarta (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deva assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding figure addresses the gods, pointing toward the fallen liṅga; a vision shows two futures: restoration leading to calm, neglect leading to premature cosmic collapse.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Liṅga
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not passive: restoring sacred order (here, the liṅga) is portrayed as protecting the cosmos itself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sanctified zone is the Anarta-region Śaiva locus where the liṅga must be re-installed; the detailed tirtha-mahātmyam continues beyond this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga re-establishment/installation (nidadhāti)—a form of restoring the deity’s emblem to its rightful seat.