Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

शालिग्रामे महादेवी शिवलिङ्गे जलप्रिया । मायापुर्यां कुमारी तु संताने ललिता तथा

Transliteration

śāligrāme mahādevī śivaliṅge jalapriyā | māyāpuryāṃ kumārī tu saṃtāne lalitā tathā

Translation

ณ ศาลิคราม พระนางทรงเป็น มหาเทวี; ณ ศิวลิงคะ ทรงเป็น ชลปริยา ผู้ปีติในสายน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์. ณ มายาปุรี ทรงเป็น กุมารี; และ ณ สันตานะ ทรงเป็น ลลิตา ผู้ละมุนงดงาม.

Word by Word

• शालिग्रामे: at Śālagrāma
• शालिग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• महादेवी: Mahādevī
• महादेवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• शिवलिङ्गे: at Śivaliṅga
• शिवलिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; शिव + लिङ्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• जलप्रिया: Jalapriyā
• जलप्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलप्रिया (प्रातिपदिक; जल + प्रिया)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• मायापुर्याम्: in Māyāpurī
• मायापुर्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मायापुरी (प्रातिपदिक; माया + पुरी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• कुमारी: Kumārī
• कुमारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• संताने: at Saṃtāna
• संताने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ललिता: Lalitā
• ललिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अवधारण (connector 'also/likewise')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma; Śivaliṅga; Māyāpurī; Saṃtāna

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four shrine-scenes: Śāligrāma with sacred stones and Devī as Mahādevī; Śivaliṅga with a liṅga beside a river where Devī is Jalapriyā; Māyāpurī with a youthful Kumārī in a city-temple; Saṃtāna with Lalitā blessing a couple/lineage symbol (cradle, family tree) in a serene mandapa.

Characters & Entities

• Śāligrāma
• Śivaliṅga
• Māyāpurī
• Saṃtāna
• Mahādevī
• Jalapriyā
• Kumārī
• Lalitā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places preserve distinct devotional moods—majesty, purity, watery sanctity, and graceful beauty—yet all are forms of the one Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śāligrāma (a famed sacred region associated with śālagrāma stones), Śivaliṅga (a named shrine), Māyāpurī, and Saṃtāna (a Purāṇic place-name).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit injunction; Jalapriyā suggests water-offerings and tīrtha-bathing as fitting acts at that kṣetra.