Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

यस्तस्य नामनिर्दिष्टं लिंगं संस्थापयाम्यहम् । तं चापि मूर्तिमंतं च सीतया सहितं शुभम् । क्षेत्रे मेध्यतमे चात्र तथात्मानं दृषन्मयम्

Transliteration

yastasya nāmanirdiṣṭaṃ liṃgaṃ saṃsthāpayāmyaham | taṃ cāpi mūrtimaṃtaṃ ca sītayā sahitaṃ śubham | kṣetre medhyatame cātra tathātmānaṃ dṛṣanmayam

Translation

“เราจักสถาปนา ‘ลึงค์’ ที่ถูกกำหนดด้วยนามของท่านนั้นเอง และ ณ ที่นี่ ในกษেতระอันชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ยิ่งนี้ เราจักตั้งรูปเคารพอันเป็นมงคลในรูปกาย พร้อมด้วยนางสีดา และตั้งรูปของเราในรูปศิลาไว้ด้วย”

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tasya: of him/that
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• nāma-nirdiṣṭam: designated by name
• nāma-nirdiṣṭam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāma (प्रातिपदिक) + nirdiṣṭa (कृदन्त; √diś/दिश् with nir- उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नाम्ना निर्दिष्टम् = ‘by name indicated’)

• liṅgam: liṅga (emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• saṃsthāpayāmi: I स्थापित/establish
• saṃsthāpayāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था) + sam- उपसर्ग; causative (णिच्) stem saṃsthāpaya
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अहम्-शब्दः

• tam: that (him/it)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• mūrtimantam: embodied, having form
• mūrtimantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūrti-mant (प्रातिपदिक; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• sītayā: with Sītā
• sītayā: Sahakāraka (सह/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• sahitam: accompanied (together)
• sahitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahita (कृदन्त; √sah/सह्, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘युक्त/समेत’ अर्थे विशेषण

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kṣetre: in the sacred field/place
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• medhyatame: in the most pure
• medhyatame: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: medhya-tama (प्रातिपदिक; तमप् superlative)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/so)

• ātmānam: (my) self
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dṛṣanmayam: made of stone
• dṛṣanmayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛṣad (प्रातिपदिक ‘stone’) + maya (प्रातिपदिक ‘made of’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (दृषदः मयः = made of stone)

Speaker

Narrator quoting Rāma (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara–Lakṣmaṇeśvara tīrtha (Nāgarakhaṇḍa context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma in royal ascetic composure declares his intent to establish a name-designated liṅga; beside him stands Sītā; artisans and sages prepare a sanctified precinct; a stone image of Rāma is readied for installation within the pure kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes enduringly powerful when sanctified by proper installations—liṅga and mūrti—so that future pilgrims may receive steady dharma and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “medhyatama kṣetra” (most purifying sacred field) within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa narrative where these installations are to be made.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pratiṣṭhā of a name-designated Śiva-liṅga, plus installation of auspicious mūrtis (including Rāma with Sītā).