Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

एवं मत्वा मया लिंगं स्नापितं पयसा सदा । एतद्यूथं परित्यज्य भक्त्या पूतेन चेतसा

Transliteration

evaṃ matvā mayā liṃgaṃ snāpitaṃ payasā sadā | etadyūthaṃ parityajya bhaktyā pūtena cetasā

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ അറിഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ എപ്പോഴും പാലാൽ ലിംഗത്തെ അഭിഷേകം ചെയ്തു. ഈ കൂട്ടത്തെ വിട്ട്, ഭക്തിയാൽ ശുദ്ധമായ ചിത്തത്തോടെ…

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• मत्वा: having considered
• मत्वा: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया (having thought/considered)

• मया: by me
• मया: कर्ता (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग-प्रयोगे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्नापितम्: bathed / washed
• स्नापितम्: कर्म (Object in passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे (washed/bathed)

• पयसा: with milk
• पयसा: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: कालाधिकरण (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: always)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• यूथम्: herd / group
• यूथम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यूथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; उपसर्गः परि- (having abandoned)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: करण (Instrument/Manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• पूतेन: purified
• पूतेन: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूत (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from पू (धातु) ‘to purify’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (न) — पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with चेतसा)

• चेतसा: with (my) mind
• चेतसा: करण (Instrument: with mind)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Nandinī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura (liṅga within)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs kṣīrābhiṣeka: white milk streams over a dark stone liṅga, with bilva leaves and a small lamp; nearby, cows/herd imagery hints at Nandinī’s pastoral identity; the devotee turns away from the herd, mind intent on Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Nandinī
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service (bhakti) expressed through worship becomes purifying; even simple offerings like milk-abhiṣeka are exalted in tīrtha contexts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The worship is directed to the Liṅga associated with Camatkārapura-kṣetra, the chapter’s central sacred site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-snāna/abhiṣeka with milk (payas) is explicitly mentioned as Nandinī’s regular act of worship.