Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

लिंगार्चनं न यत्रैव यत्र नास्ति जपादिकम् । यत्र भक्तिविहीना वै भूतानां तान्गृहान्वदेत्

Transliteration

liṃgārcanaṃ na yatraiva yatra nāsti japādikam | yatra bhaktivihīnā vai bhūtānāṃ tāngṛhānvadet

Translation

എവിടെ ലിംഗാർചന ഇല്ല, എവിടെ ജപാദി കർമ്മങ്ങൾ ഇല്ല, എവിടെ ഭക്തിയില്ലായ്മയുണ്ടോ—അത്തരം ഗൃഹങ്ങളെ ഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ഗൃഹങ്ങളെന്ന് വിളിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• लिङ्गार्चनम्: worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गार्चनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘लिङ्गस्य अर्चनम्’ (neuter nom/acc sg)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative locative adverb: where)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (present indicative, 3rd sg)

• जपादिकम्: japa and the like (rites)
• जपादिकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थे ‘जपः आदिः यस्य तत्’ (neuter nom/acc sg)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• भक्तिविहीनाः: devoid of devotion
• भक्तिविहीनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भक्त्या विहीनाः’ (masc nom pl)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• भूतानाम्: of spirits/beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter genitive plural)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc accusative plural)

• गृहान्: houses
• गृहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter accusative plural)

• वदेत्: should call/say
• वदेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (optative, 3rd sg)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: one house with a clean liṅga-altar, lamp, and japa practitioner radiating calm; another neglected house appears shadowed, labeled metaphorically as bhūta-gṛha.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Bhūta (spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A home becomes spiritually protected through bhakti, japa, and Śaiva worship; their absence is portrayed as inviting subtle disorder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, presented as a Śaiva-sacred landscape where Liṅga worship is central.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana (Liṅga worship) and japa (mantra repetition), along with sustained devotion (bhakti).