Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

चित्रशर्मोवाच । यदि तुष्टोसि मे देव वरं चेन्मे प्रयच्छसि । तदत्रागच्छ पातालाल्लिंगरूपी सुरेश्वर

Transliteration

citraśarmovāca | yadi tuṣṭosi me deva varaṃ cenme prayacchasi | tadatrāgaccha pātālālliṃgarūpī sureśvara

Translation

ചിത്രശർമൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ ദേവാ! നീ എന്നിൽ പ്രസന്നനാണെങ്കിൽ, എനിക്ക് വരം നൽകുമെങ്കിൽ, ഹേ സുരേശ്വരാ, പാതാളത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഇവിടെ ലിംഗരൂപത്തിൽ വരിക.

Word by Word

• चित्रशर्मा: Citraśarman
• चित्रशर्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रशर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Conditional connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धक/शर्तसूचक); ‘if’

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-कृदन्त from तुष् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘pleased’

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: my; of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन; ‘my/of me’ (enclitic)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Conditional connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त/विकल्पसूचक); ‘if/indeed’

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative) एकवचन; ‘to me’ (enclitic)

• प्रयच्छसि: you grant/give
• प्रयच्छसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम्/यच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that (then)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘that/then’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक); ‘here’

• आगच्छ: come
• आगच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पातालात्: from Pātāla (netherworld)
• पातालात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गरूपी: O one in liṅga-form
• लिङ्गरूपी: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा एकवचन; समासः—लिङ्गरूपिन् = ‘having the form of a liṅga’

• सुरेश्वर: O Lord of the gods
• सुरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—सुरेश्वर = ‘lord of the gods’

Speaker

Citraśarman

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (invoked as liṅga-form to be brought/manifested)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Citraśarman, hands raised in supplication, addresses the Lord: a vision of Śiva emerging from subterranean depths as a radiant liṅga-form, with nāga motifs hinting at Pātāla.

Characters & Entities

• Citraśarman
• Pātāla
• Śiva (Sureśvara, liṅgarūpī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The devotee seeks not personal dominion but the tangible presence of Śiva for continual worship and the sanctification of a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara tīrtha/temple setting is central, as the boon explicitly requests Śiva’s manifestation here as a liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (establishing Śiva as a liṅga) leading to ongoing worship at the site.