Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तल्लिंगं तत्र संस्थाप्य चक्रुस्तां नर्मदां नदीम् । तज्जलं नर्मदारूपं ल्लिंगं चामरकण्टकम्

Transliteration

talliṃgaṃ tatra saṃsthāpya cakrustāṃ narmadāṃ nadīm | tajjalaṃ narmadārūpaṃ lliṃgaṃ cāmarakaṇṭakam

Translation

അവിടെ ആ ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് അവർ നർമദാ നദിയെ പ്രാകട്യമാക്കി. ആ ജലം നർമദാരൂപമായി; ആ ലിംഗം ‘അമരകണ്ഠകം’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമായി.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; determiner of लिङ्गम्

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; object of संस्थाप्य

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• संस्थाप्य: having installed/established
• संस्थाप्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्- (उपसर्ग) + स्था (धातु) → संस्थाप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• चक्रुः: they made
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; refers to नदीम्

• नर्मदाम्: Narmadā
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; apposition to नदीम्

• नदीम्: river
• नदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; determiner of जलम्

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; (elliptic) identified as Narmadā-form

• नर्मदारूपम्: having the form of Narmadā
• नर्मदारूपम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण of जलम्

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; coordinated with जलम् (elliptic)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अमरकण्टकम्: Amarakantaka (name)
• अमरकण्टकम्: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominal/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक) + कण्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; predicate/appellation of लिङ्गम्

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amarakantaka (Narmadā-udgama)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages/holy beings install a radiant liṅga on a forested peak; from the liṅga’s vicinity a clear stream bursts forth and becomes the Narmadā, flowing as a goddess-river; the liṅga is revered as Amarakantaka.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Amarakantaka
• Liṅga
• Ṛṣis/Brāhmaṇas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the sacred is स्थापित (established) with devotion, a place becomes a tīrtha and the land is purified through divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Amarakantaka and the Narmadā—presented as a divinely-formed river arising in connection with the liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pratiṣṭhā/saṃsthāpana of the liṅga (establishing the liṅga) is implied as the sanctifying act.