Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

दूत उवाच । यानि तत्र च लिंगानि राक्षसैर्निर्मितानि च । तानि गत्वा स्वयं शीघ्रं त्वमुत्पाटय राक्षस

Transliteration

dūta uvāca | yāni tatra ca liṃgāni rākṣasairnirmitāni ca | tāni gatvā svayaṃ śīghraṃ tvamutpāṭaya rākṣasa

Translation

O mensageiro disse: «Quanto aos liṅgas que ali foram feitos pelos rākṣasas, vai tu mesmo depressa e arranca-os pela raiz, ó rākṣasa».

Word by Word

• dūtaḥ: the messenger
• dūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dūta (दूत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उवाच इति वाक्ये कर्ता)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yāni: which (things)
• yāni: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन — relative pronoun

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• liṃgāni: liṅgas (emblems)
• liṃgāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (लिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• rākṣasaiḥ: by demons
• rākṣasaiḥ: Karta/Instrument (Agent/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• nirmitāni: constructed / made
• nirmitāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√mā (मा धातु) / √mā (निर्मा/मा)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गानि)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• tāni: those
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — 'having gone'

• svayam: yourself
• svayam: Karta-emphasis (Agent emphasis/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (indeclinable 'oneself')

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (शीघ्र-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग एकवचन रूपेण — 'quickly'

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• utpāṭaya: uproot / tear out
• utpāṭaya: Kriyā (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√paṭ (पट्/पाट् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• rākṣasa: O rākṣasa
• rākṣasa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Dūta (messenger)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple/kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rākṣasa (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The messenger speaks firmly: the liṅgas made by rākṣasas at that place should be personally and swiftly uprooted by the rākṣasa addressed.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred worship must be grounded in purity of intention and right procedure; illegitimate or harmful installations should be corrected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tīrtha name is not provided in the verse; it refers to a location ‘there’ within the chapter’s tīrtha-narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Removal (utpāṭana) of improperly created liṅgas is prescribed as a corrective religious act.