Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तस्माल्लिंगमिदं नित्यं पूजयस्व प्रभक्तितः । सप्तविंशतिलिंगानां यतः फलमवाप्स्यसि

Transliteration

tasmālliṃgamidaṃ nityaṃ pūjayasva prabhaktitaḥ | saptaviṃśatiliṃgānāṃ yataḥ phalamavāpsyasi

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഈ ലിംഗത്തെ നിത്യം പരമഭക്തിയോടെ പൂജിക്ക; ഇതിലൂടെ നീ ഇരുപത്തേഴു ലിംഗപൂജയുടെ തുല്യഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः), हेतौ/तस्मात् = ‘therefore/from that’ (ablatival adverbial use)

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

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गम्)

• नित्यम्: always; constantly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः)

• पूजयस्व: worship (you should worship)
• पूजयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• प्रभक्तितः: with great devotion
• प्रभक्तितः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (प्रभक्तितः) = ‘with great devotion/through devotion’

• सप्तविंशतिलिङ्गानाम्: of the twenty-seven liṅgas
• सप्तविंशतिलिङ्गानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समासः—सप्तविंशतिः लिङ्गानि यस्य/येषां (determinative)

• यतः: from which; because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (यतः) = ‘from which/wherefrom; because’ (causal/ablatival)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अवाप्स्यसि: you will obtain
• अवाप्स्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव्+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Mahādeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgareśvara (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before a simple, radiant liṅga in a city-shrine, offering water and bilva leaves; a subtle aura suggests the presence of many liṅgas’ merit converging into one.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-liṅga
• twenty-seven liṅgas (saptaviṃśati-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular devotion (nitya-pūjā) concentrates great merit; one sacred focus can yield multiplied spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The revealed liṅga—later known as Nāgareśvara—is presented as a power-center of merit within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily worship of the liṅga with deep devotion, with the promise of merit equivalent to worshipping 27 liṅgas.