Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

नन्दिन्युवाच । अत्रास्ति सुमहल्लिंगं पुरा बाणप्रतिष्ठितम् । गहने यत्प्रभावेन त्वया मुक्तास्म्यहं ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

nandinyuvāca | atrāsti sumahalliṃgaṃ purā bāṇapratiṣṭhitam | gahane yatprabhāvena tvayā muktāsmyahaṃ dhruvam

Translation

നന്ദിനി പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ പണ്ടുകാലത്ത് ബാണൻ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ച അതിമഹത്തായ ലിംഗം ഉണ്ട്. ഈ ഗഹനവനത്തിൽ അതിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ നിന്മൂലം ഞാൻ തീർച്ചയായും മോചിതയാകും.

Word by Word

• nandiny: Nandinī
• nandiny: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person, Singular)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: here)

• asti: there is
• asti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person, Singular)

• su-mahat-liṅgam: a very great liṅga
• su-mahat-liṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + mahat (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); कर्मधारयः (सुमहत् लिङ्गम्)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kala (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: formerly)

• bāṇa-pratiṣṭhitam: installed by Bāṇa
• bāṇa-pratiṣṭhitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pratiṣṭhita (कृदन्त; √sthā)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); भूतकृदन्त (क्त), √sthā; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बाणेन/बाणस्य प्रतिष्ठितम्)

• gahane: in the thicket/forest depth
• gahane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gahana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• yat-prabhāvena: by whose power
• yat-prabhāvena: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यस्य प्रभावः तेन)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन (Pronoun, Instrumental, Singular)

• muktā: freed
• muktā: Karta (Subject in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (कृदन्त; √muc)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular); भूतकृदन्त (क्त), √muc

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (1st person, Singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Pronoun, Nominative, Singular)

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययप्रयोग (indeclinable usage: certainly)

Speaker

Nandinī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bāṇa-pratiṣṭhita Mahāliṅga (name not specified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tiger (vyāghra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandinī speaks, indicating a colossal ancient liṅga in a dense forest, attributing to it a liberating power and foretelling her own release through the tiger’s devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga
• Bāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred Śiva-liṅga, especially one renowned by ancient establishment, becomes a powerful refuge capable of granting release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘very great’ Śiva-liṅga in a dense forest, said to have been established by Bāṇa, is the focal sacred site in this passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse points to the shrine as the remedy; specific acts (pradakṣiṇā and praṇāma) are prescribed in the next verse.