Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

नाविंदत जलं तत्र पार्श्वे दशरथात्मजः । लिंगाभिषेकयोग्यं च जलं किमिति चिंतयन्

Transliteration

nāviṃdata jalaṃ tatra pārśve daśarathātmajaḥ | liṃgābhiṣekayogyaṃ ca jalaṃ kimiti ciṃtayan

Translation

ณ ที่นั้นใกล้เคียง พระโอรสท้าวทศรถไม่พบสายน้ำที่เหมาะแก่การอภิเษกสรงลึงค์ จึงทรงครุ่นคิดว่า “จะได้น้ำอันควรแก่พิธีได้อย่างไรหนอ?”

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (particle of negation)

• अविन्दत: found/obtained
• अविन्दत: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (लभे) (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• पार्श्वे: at the side/nearby
• पार्श्वे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन

• दशरथात्मजः: son of Daśaratha
• दशरथात्मजः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्तृ/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दशरथस्य आत्मजः)

• लिङ्गाभिषेकयोग्यम्: fit for the liṅga’s consecration
• लिङ्गाभिषेकयोग्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिषेक (प्रातिपदिक) + योग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य अभिषेकाय योग्यः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• इति: thus
• इति: Vakyartha-marker (Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• चिन्तयन्: thinking
• चिन्तयन्: Karta (Agent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √चिन्त् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-sthāpana-sthala (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma stands near the newly installed liṅga, scanning the terrain; dry rocks and sparse streams; his face thoughtful, weighing how to procure water worthy of abhiṣeka.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Śiva (liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is careful and conscientious—seeking proper means and purity for worship, not mere outward performance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the scene for Koṭitīrtha’s appearance in the Gandhamādana/Setu sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka requires water deemed suitable (yogya) and pure (śuddha) for the liṅga.