Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

सर्वरत्नमयो मेरुः सर्वाश्चर्यमयं तपः । सर्वधर्ममयी राजञ्छिवरात्रिः प्रकीर्तिताः

Transliteration

sarvaratnamayo meruḥ sarvāścaryamayaṃ tapaḥ | sarvadharmamayī rājañchivarātriḥ prakīrtitāḥ

Translation

മേരു സർവരത്നമയമാണെന്ന്, തപസ് സർവാശ്ചര്യമയമാണെന്നും പറയപ്പെടുന്നു। അതുപോലെ, ഹേ രാജൻ, ശിവരാത്രി സർവധർമ്മമയിയായി പ്രഖ്യാതമാണ്।

Word by Word

• sarva-ratna-mayaḥ: made of all gems
• sarva-ratna-mayaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (sarvair ratnaiḥ mayaḥ = made of all gems)

• meruḥ: Meru (mountain)
• meruḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarva-āścarya-mayam: full of all wonders
• sarva-āścarya-mayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + āścarya (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (made of all wonders)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarva-dharma-mayī: embodying all dharmas
• sarva-dharma-mayī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + mayī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (consisting of all dharmas)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• śivarātriḥ: Śivarātri
• śivarātriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivarātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prakīrtitāḥ: is proclaimed
• prakīrtitāḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन अपेक्षित; पाठे 'प्रकीर्तिताः' बहुवचन-रूपं (m./f. nom. pl.)—अर्थतः 'प्रकीर्तिता (is proclaimed)'

Speaker

Narrative voice within the Māhātmya (contextual; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śivarātri (as a sacred observance/time-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic composition: Meru glittering with jewels; an ascetic aura of tapas as luminous wonder; and at the center, Śivarātri represented by a Śiva-liṅga surrounded by lamps, embodying all dharmas.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Śivarātri

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single sacred observance—Śivarātri—can be viewed as a concentrated embodiment of many dharmic practices.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya’s praise of Śivarātri rather than naming a new tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit recommendation to observe Śivarātri as a comprehensive dharmic vrata.