Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तो लिंगे ऽस्मिन्संस्थितः सदा । नृणां नाशयिता पापं पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्

Transliteration

mūrtyaṣṭakasamāyukto liṃge 'sminsaṃsthitaḥ sadā | nṛṇāṃ nāśayitā pāpaṃ pūrvajanmaśatārjitam

Translation

അഷ്ടദിവ്യമൂർത്തികളോടു സമായുക്തനായി ഞാൻ ഈ ലിംഗത്തിൽ സദാ സ്ഥാപിതനാണ്; മനുഷ്യരുടെ നൂറുനൂറ് മുൻജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച പാപം ഞാൻ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तः: endowed with the eight forms
• मूर्त्यष्टकसमायुक्तः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ति + अष्टक + सम् + युक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास (मूर्त्यष्टकेन समायुक्तः); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘endowed/associated’

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• संस्थितः: stationed
• संस्थितः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + √स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचन

• नाशयिता: destroyer
• नाशयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √नश्/√नाश् (धातु) → नाशयितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्तृवाचक-तृन्/तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्: earned over a hundred previous births
• पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व + जन्म + शत + अर्जित (कृदन्त)
• Form: समास (पूर्वजन्मसु शतेन अर्जितम्/पूर्वजन्मशतैः अर्जितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) विशेषण (पापम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Rudra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharitrī-liṅga (Aṣṭamūrti-samāyukta)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (immediate) and ṛṣi audience (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The liṅga radiates eight subtle emanations around it—symbols of the elements and luminaries (earth, water, fire, air, ether, sun, moon, and the sacrificer/ātman); devotees’ dark karmic smoke dissolves into light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Dharitrī-liṅga
• Mūrtyaṣṭaka (eight forms)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred worship can cut through deep karmic accumulation; Śiva’s presence is portrayed as multidimensional yet accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharitrī-liṅga at Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised for destroying sins amassed across many births.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-worship is implied as the means to destroy long-standing pāpa (sin) and karmic residue.