Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

सा चोवाच तदा शंभुं विकचस्वरलोचना । विप्रशापपातितं च यदा लिंगं भविष्यति

Transliteration

sā covāca tadā śaṃbhuṃ vikacasvaralocanā | vipraśāpapātitaṃ ca yadā liṃgaṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അവൾ—വികസിച്ച പദ്മംപോലെ ദീപ്തമായ കണ്ണുകളോടെ—ശംഭുവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു: “ബ്രാഹ്മണശാപത്താൽ പതിതമായ ലിംഗം എപ്പോൾ പ്രത്യക്ഷമാകുമോ…”

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

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

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• शंभुम्: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभुम्: Karman (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• विकचस्वरलोचना: (she) with bright/blossomed eyes
• विकचस्वरलोचना: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकच + स्वर + लोचना (प्रातिपदिक); लोचना (स्त्री) विशेष्य
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — विकचस्वरा यस्याः लोचनानि (having blossomed/bright eyes)

• विप्रशापपातितम्: struck down by a Brahmin’s curse
• विप्रशापपातितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र + शाप + पातित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पत्/पत् caus. √पत्?; पातित = caused to fall/struck)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘पातित’; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — विप्रस्य शापेन पातितम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be / will come to be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Girijā (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī with lotus-like opened eyes addresses Śiva, foretelling the future descent of a liṅga caused by a brāhmaṇa’s curse.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse highlights the moral force attributed to brāhmaṇa speech in Purāṇic dharma and frames the liṅga’s appearance within a providential, dharma-governed narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 254) leading into a liṅga-origin account; the site name is not contained in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces an etiological (origin) narrative about a liṅga connected with a vipra’s curse.