Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

संतप्तहेम कलशैर्बहुभिर्विचित्रैः प्रोद्भासितस्फटिकसौधतलाभिरामम् । रम्यं च तच्छिवपुरं वरपीठमध्ये लिंगं च रत्नसहितं स ददर्श बालः

Transliteration

saṃtaptahema kalaśairbahubhirvicitraiḥ prodbhāsitasphaṭikasaudhatalābhirāmam | ramyaṃ ca tacchivapuraṃ varapīṭhamadhye liṃgaṃ ca ratnasahitaṃ sa dadarśa bālaḥ

Translation

ତପ୍ତ ସୁବର୍ଣ୍ଣର ଅନେକ ବିଚିତ୍ର କଳଶରେ ଶୋଭିତ, ଦୀପ୍ତ ସ୍ଫଟିକ-ସୌଧମାନେ ଯାହାକୁ ମନୋହର କରିଥିଲେ, ସେଇ ରମ୍ୟ ଶିବପୁରୀକୁ ବାଳକ ଦେଖିଲା; ଏବଂ ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ପୀଠର ମଧ୍ୟଭାଗରେ ରତ୍ନଖଚିତ ଶିବଲିଙ୍ଗକୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ଦର୍ଶନ କଲା।

Word by Word

• saṃtapta-hema-kalaśaiḥ: with heated golden pots
• saṃtapta-hema-kalaśaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃtapta (कृदन्त, √tap) + hema (प्रातिपदिक) + kalaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (saṃtapta-hema-kalaśa = ‘heated-gold pots’)

• bahubhiḥ: many
• bahubhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (kalaśaiḥ इत्यस्य)

• vicitraiḥ: variegated, wonderful
• vicitraiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vicitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (kalaśaiḥ इत्यस्य)

• prodbhāsita-sphaṭika-saudha-tala-ābhirāmam: beautiful with radiant crystal-palace floors
• prodbhāsita-sphaṭika-saudha-tala-ābhirāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prodbhāsita (कृदन्त, √bhās) + sphaṭika (प्रातिपदिक) + saudha (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक) + ābhirāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Object), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tacchivapuraṃ इत्यस्य); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (prodbhāsita-sphaṭika-saudha-tala-ābhirāma = ‘beautiful with crystal-palace floors made radiant’)

• ramyam: lovely
• ramyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tacchivapuraṃ इत्यस्य)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tat-śiva-puram: that city of Śiva
• tat-śiva-puram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (śiva-pura = ‘Śiva’s city’; tat- = ‘that’)

• vara-pīṭha-madhye: in the middle of the excellent pedestal
• vara-pīṭha-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + pīṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (vara-pīṭha-madhya = ‘in the middle of the excellent pedestal’)

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• ratna-sahitam: accompanied by gems
• ratna-sahitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + sahita (कृदन्त, √sah)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (liṅgam इत्यस्य); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ratna-sahita = ‘accompanied with gems’)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/Subject), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• bālaḥ: the boy
• bālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (saḥ इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śivapura (visionary kṣetra) / Ratna-liṅga on Varapīṭha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young boy beholds a resplendent Śiva-city: crystal palaces gleam; many heated-gold finials crown the roofs; at the center stands a splendid pedestal bearing a jewel-set liṅga, radiating calm power.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-pura
• Liṅga
• Bālaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of the liṅga and the Lord’s abode is portrayed as a gift of grace responding to devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named geographical tīrtha appears; the passage glorifies the archetypal sacred abode of Śiva and the liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse centers on the vision of the liṅga upon a pedestal.