Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

अष्टषष्टिमितान्दिव्यान्कैलासशिखरोपमान् । तेषु संस्थापयामासु लिङ्गानि विविधानि च । क्षेत्रेक्षत्रे च यन्नाम तत्तत्संज्ञां प्रचक्रिरे

Transliteration

aṣṭaṣaṣṭimitāndivyānkailāsaśikharopamān | teṣu saṃsthāpayāmāsu liṅgāni vividhāni ca | kṣetrekṣatre ca yannāma tattatsaṃjñāṃ pracakrire

Translation

അവർ അഷ്ടഷഷ്ടി (68) ദിവ്യ പ്രാസാദങ്ങൾ പണിതു; അവ കൈലാസശിഖരങ്ങളെപ്പോലെ ആയിരുന്നു. അവയിൽ വിവിധ ലിംഗങ്ങൾ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു; പിന്നെ ഓരോ ക്ഷേത്ര-സ്ഥലത്തും പ്രചാരത്തിലുള്ള പേരേ അതിന്റെ (ലിംഗ/ധാമത്തിന്റെ) നാമമായി നിശ്ചയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• अष्टषष्टिमितान्: numbering sixty-eight
• अष्टषष्टिमितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टषष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + मित (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अष्टषष्ट्या मिताः “measured as sixty-eight”); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• दिव्यान्: divine
• दिव्यान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• कैलासशिखरोपमान्: resembling the peak of Kailāsa
• कैलासशिखरोपमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कैलासस्य शिखरेण उपमाः/उपमानाः “like the peak of Kailāsa”); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• तेषु: in them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Locative Plural: “in them”)

• संस्थापयामासुः: they installed
• संस्थापयामासुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (periphrastic perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Plural): “they caused to be established/installed”

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Plural)

• विविधानि: various
• विविधानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Plural)

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

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• क्षत्रे: in the kṣatra (domain of rule/warrior realm)
• क्षत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

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

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: “whatever/which”)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सह पुनरुक्त्या (correlative “that”)

• तत्: that (respective)
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive: “each such”)

• संज्ञाम्: designation, title
• संज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• प्रचक्रिरे: they assigned/made
• प्रचक्रिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Plural, Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Narrator voice (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of a sacred region dotted with sixty-eight white-stone temples, their spires resembling Kailāsa peaks. Inside different shrines, distinct liṅgas are being installed with lamps and garlands. Each temple bears a banner with the local place-name.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• liṅga
• kṣetra
• brāhmaṇas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is sanctified through liṅga-pratiṣṭhā; naming shrines after local kṣetras ties devotion to place and tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies a wider kṣetra-network (multiple sites) rather than a single named tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā within newly built temples, with appropriate naming aligned to each locality/kṣetra.