Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

वज्रिण्यास्तु तटे देवि लिंगान्येकोनविंशतिः । न्यंकुमत्यास्तटे देवि सहस्रं द्विशताधिकम्

Transliteration

vajriṇyāstu taṭe devi liṃgānyekonaviṃśatiḥ | nyaṃkumatyāstaṭe devi sahasraṃ dviśatādhikam

Translation

ഹേ ദേവി, വജ്രിണിയുടെ തീരത്ത് പത്തൊമ്പത് ലിംഗങ്ങളുണ്ട്; ഹേ ദേവി, ന്യങ്കുമതിയുടെ തീരത്ത് ആയിരത്തോടൊപ്പം രണ്ടുനൂറിലധികം (അഥവാ പന്ത്രണ്ടുനൂറ്) ലിംഗങ്ങളുണ്ട്।

Word by Word

• vajriṇyāḥ: of Vajriṇī (river/stream)
• vajriṇyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajriṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (contrast/emphasis)

• taṭe: on the bank
• taṭe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• liṅgāni: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• liṅgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• ekona-viṃśatiḥ: nineteen (one less than twenty)
• ekona-viṃśatiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Numerical qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekona (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (cardinal number)

• nyaṃkumatyāḥ: of Nyaṃkumatī
• nyaṃkumatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyaṃkumatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• taṭe: on the bank
• taṭe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sahasram: a thousand
• sahasram: Viśeṣaṇa (Numerical qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• dviśata-adhikam: with two hundred more (i.e., plus 200)
• dviśata-adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dviśata (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numerical adjectival)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vajriṇī-taṭa and Nyaṅkumatī-taṭa liṅga-kṣetras

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two riverbanks shown side-by-side like a sacred map: Vajriṇī with a neat row of 19 liṅga shrines; Nyaṅkumatī sprawling with innumerable tiny liṅgas extending into the distance; Pārvatī listens as Śiva points to each bank.

Characters & Entities

• Vajriṇī
• Nyaṅkumatī
• Śiva-liṅga
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacredness is mapped onto landscape—riverbanks become corridors of worship where Śiva’s presence is multiplied through many liṅga-shrines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-kṣetra riverbank zones of Vajriṇī and Nyaṅkumatī, noted for their liṅga concentrations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit pilgrimage guidance: visit and worship liṅgas situated along these named riverbanks.