Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रतिष्ठाप्य महालिंगं संपूजयति भक्तितः । वर्षाणामयुतं साग्रं पूजितो वृषभध्वजः

Transliteration

pratiṣṭhāpya mahāliṃgaṃ saṃpūjayati bhaktitaḥ | varṣāṇāmayutaṃ sāgraṃ pūjito vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ

Translation

മഹാലിംഗം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ച് അവൻ ഭക്തിയോടെ സമ്പൂജ ചെയ്തു. പൂർണ്ണ പത്തായിരം വർഷം വൃഷഭധ്വജനായ ശിവൻ പൂജിക്കപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed/established
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive modifying main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: √स्था (1P) उपसर्ग: प्रति; अर्थः—having established

• महालिङ्गम्: the great liṅga
• महालिङ्गम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् लिङ्गम्)

• संपूजयति: worships fully
• संपूजयति: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: √पूज्, उपसर्ग: सम्

• भक्तितः: out of devotion / devoutly
• भक्तितः: Hetu/Instrumental sense (Cause/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावे प्रयोगः—‘भक्तितः’ = out of devotion/by devotion

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अयुतम्: ten thousand
• अयुतम्: Parimāṇa (Measure/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (प्रमाण/परिमाण), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक—ten thousand

• साग्रम्: and more (with an excess)
• साग्रम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘साग्र’ = with an excess/plus (and more)

• पूजितः: worshipped
• पूजितः: Karta/Predicate complement (describing subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: √पूज्; अर्थः—having been worshipped

• वृषभध्वजः: Śiva (whose banner is the bull)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘वृषभः ध्वजः यस्य सः’ (epithet of Śiva)

Speaker

Śiva (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varuṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varuṇa establishes a great liṅga and worships Śiva with devotion for ten thousand years; Śiva is invoked as Vṛṣabhadhvaja, the bull-bannered Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇa
• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Mahāliṅga
• Pratiṣṭhā
• Pūjā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion—expressed through establishing and worshipping the liṅga—forms the archetype of sacred-site merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Varuṇeśvara liṅga (the mahāliṅga established by Varuṇa) in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) followed by devoted pūjā over a prolonged period.