Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 126

Devanagari script

तस्माल्लिङ्गार्चनं भाव्यं सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम् । लिङ्गरूपी शिवो भूत्वा त्रायते संचराचरम्

Transliteration

tasmālliṅgārcanaṃ bhāvyaṃ sarveṣāmapi dehinām | liṅgarūpī śivo bhūtvā trāyate saṃcarācaram

Translation

ฉะนั้น สรรพสัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายทั้งปวงพึงประกอบการบูชาลึงค์ พระศิวะเมื่อประทับเป็นรูปแห่งลึงค์ ย่อมคุ้มครองและโปรดให้พ้นแก่สรรพสิ่งทั้งจรและอจร

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore / from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Reason/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लिङ्गार्चनम्: worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गार्चनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: लिङ्ग + अर्चन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भाव्यम्: should be done / is to be performed
• भाव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्—‘कर्तव्यम्/should be done’

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• लिङ्गरूपी: having the form of the liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग-रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: लिङ्ग + रूपिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘शिवः’ इति

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having become’

• त्रायते: protects
• त्रायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्रा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• संचराचरम्: the moving and the unmoving (all beings)
• संचराचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-चर-अचर (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: चर + अचर, उपसर्ग/समुच्चय ‘स’ सहित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees of varied stations (householder, ascetic, pilgrim) offering water, bilva leaves, and lamps to a liṅga; Śiva’s protective aura expands to animals, trees, mountains—cara and acara under one sheltering presence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Universal accessibility of Śiva’s grace is emphasized: liṅga-worship is a direct, protective, and liberating practice for all.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra/Kedarnath, where the liṅga-form of Śiva is central to the tīrtha’s Mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana—ritual worship of Śiva in the liṅga form (typically including offerings, abhiṣeka, and mantra-japa as per tradition).