Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

देव उवाच । अष्टषष्टिषु लिंगेषु स्थापितेषु त्वया विभो । सोमवारेण सांनिध्यं करिष्ये वचनात्तव

Transliteration

deva uvāca | aṣṭaṣaṣṭiṣu liṃgeṣu sthāpiteṣu tvayā vibho | somavāreṇa sāṃnidhyaṃ kariṣye vacanāttava

Translation

ദേവൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ വിഭോ! നീ സ്ഥാപിച്ച അറുപത്തെട്ട് ലിംഗങ്ങളിൽ, നിന്റെ വചനപ്രകാരം, തിങ്കളാഴ്ചകളിൽ ഞാൻ പ്രത്യേക സന്നിധാനം നൽകും।

Word by Word

• देवः: the god (Śiva)
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अष्टषष्टिषु: in the sixty-eight
• अष्टषष्टिषु: Viśeṣaṇa (Numerical qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट-षष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (अष्ट+षष्टि=68)

• लिङ्गेषु: in the liṅgas
• लिङ्गेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• स्थापितेषु: established
• स्थापितेषु: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थापित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; स्था/स्थापय् धातोः)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; क्त (PPP)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• विभो: O mighty one
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• सोमवारेण: by (on) Monday
• सोमवारेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सोमस्य वारः)

• सांनिध्यम्: presence
• सांनिध्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• करिष्ये: I shall do, I will make
• करिष्ये: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वचनात्: because of the word/command
• वचनात्: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Deva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-Candra-liṅgāni

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva grants the boon: ‘On Mondays, my special presence will be there in your sixty-eight liṅgas.’ A subtle motif of the weekday—moon and calendrical symbols—surrounds the liṅgas.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Candra/Soma
• Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi (68) Liṅgas
• Somavāra (Monday)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time enhances sacred place: Monday becomes especially potent for Śiva worship due to the Soma–Śiva connection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A network of sixty-eight Soma-established liṅga-sites within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha map is glorified, collectively bearing Somēśvara sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Somavāra (Monday) worship is indicated as the key observance for experiencing Śiva’s special presence at these liṅgas.