Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

द्वादशार्कप्रतीकाशं सर्वलक्षणलक्षितम । एतस्मिन्नंतरे देवः शंभुः प्रत्यक्षतां गतः

Transliteration

dvādaśārkapratīkāśaṃ sarvalakṣaṇalakṣitama | etasminnaṃtare devaḥ śaṃbhuḥ pratyakṣatāṃ gataḥ

Translation

അത് പന്ത്രണ്ടു സൂര്യന്മാരെപ്പോലെ ദീപ്തമായും സർവ്വശുഭലക്ഷണങ്ങളാൽ ലക്ഷിതമായും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. അതേ നിമിഷം ദേവൻ ശംഭു പ്രത്യക്ഷനായി.

Word by Word

• dvādaśa-arka-pratīkāśam: shining like twelve suns
• dvādaśa-arka-pratīkāśam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of liṅgam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (द्वादश) + arka (अर्क) + pratīkāśa (प्रतीकाश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (द्वादशार्कवत् प्रतीकाशम्)

• sarva-lakṣaṇa-lakṣitam: marked with all auspicious signs
• sarva-lakṣaṇa-lakṣitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of liṅgam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व) + lakṣaṇa (लक्षण) + lakṣita (लक्षित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वलक्षणैः लक्षितम्)

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/at this)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• antare: in the meantime
• antare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/meanwhile)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (अन्तर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (शम्भु प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष्य-अपपद (devaḥ)

• pratyakṣatām: manifestness, visibility
• pratyakṣatām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyakṣatā (प्रत्यक्षता प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gataḥ: having attained, became
• gataḥ: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (देवः/शम्भुः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing liṅga radiating like twelve suns, with auspicious emblems; Śambhu appears beside/above it, serene yet powerful, with trident and crescent moon, the sage overwhelmed in devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Śiva-liṅga
• Hāṭakeśvara (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s greatness is affirmed when Śiva grants pratyakṣa-darśana, validating devotion and austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara, where the liṅga’s radiance and Śiva’s direct manifestation establish the site’s exalted status.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription is given; the verse describes the divine sign (liṅga radiance) and Śiva’s manifestation.