Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अन्धक उवाच । अनेनैव तु रूपेण शृलाग्रस्थितमत्तनुम् । यो मर्त्योर्च्चां प्रकृत्वा ते स्थापयिष्यति भूतले

Transliteration

andhaka uvāca | anenaiva tu rūpeṇa śṛlāgrasthitamattanum | yo martyorccāṃ prakṛtvā te sthāpayiṣyati bhūtale

Translation

അന്ധകൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇതേ രൂപത്തിൽ, ത്രിശൂലാഗ്രത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന നിന്റെ ദേഹത്തെ ആധാരമാക്കി—ഏതു മർത്ത്യനും നിന്റെ ആരാധനയ്ക്കായി പ്രതിമ നിർമ്മിച്ച് ഭൂമിയിൽ സ്ഥാപിക്കുമോ…

Word by Word

• अन्धकः: Andhaka
• अन्धकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अनेन: by/with this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण (instrumental: by/with this)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (but/indeed)

• रूपेण: in the form
• रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शूलाग्रस्थितम्: placed on the tip of the trident
• शूलाग्रस्थितम्: Karman-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूल + अग्र + स्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; समासः—षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (शूलस्य अग्रे स्थितम्)

• मत्-तनुम्: my body
• मत्-तनुम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-प्रत्यय/सर्वनाम) + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मम तनुः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अर्चाम्: an image (idol)
• अर्चाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्चा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रकृत्वा: having made
• प्रकृत्वा: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): having made

• ते: for you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्थापयिष्यति: will स्थापित/establish
• स्थापयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative स्थापय)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• भूतले: on the earth
• भूतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Andhaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka specifies a worship-form: Śiva’s body set upon the trident’s tip; he speaks of a mortal who will craft and establish this image on earth for worship.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Śiva
• Śūla (trident)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred forms (arcā) make divine presence accessible; installing a deity-form anchors dharma in the human world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage is within a Tīrthamāhātmya of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa; this verse itself does not name the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Creating an arcā (worship-image) and establishing (installing) it on the ground—i.e., mūrti-pratiṣṭhā in a Śaiva context.