Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । तारकं विनिहत्यैव वज्रांगतनयं प्रभुः । गुहः संस्थापयामास लिंगमेतच्च फाल्गुन

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tārakaṃ vinihatyaiva vajrāṃgatanayaṃ prabhuḥ | guhaḥ saṃsthāpayāmāsa liṃgametacca phālguna

Translation

Sinabi ni Nārada: “Matapos patayin si Tāraka, anak ni Vajrāṅga, itinatag ng Panginoong Guha ang mismong liṅga na ito, O Phālalguna.”

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tārakam: Tāraka (the demon)
• tārakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vinihatya: having slain
• vinihatya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (हन् धातु) + vi + ktvā/lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having slain)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• vajra-aṅga-tanayam: the son of Vajrāṅga
• vajra-aṅga-tanayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘वज्राङ्गस्य तनयम्’), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• guhaḥ: Guha (Kārttikeya)
• guhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• saṃsthāpayāmāsa: established/caused to be set up
• saṃsthāpayāmāsa: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) + sam + causative (णिच्) + ā + लिट्
• Form: णिजन्त (causative) धातु, लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• phālguna: O Phālguna (Arjuna)
• phālguna: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phālguna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāranātha (liṅga established by Guha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (Phālguna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Guha (Skanda) stands victorious after slaying Tāraka; he then installs a radiant Śiva-liṅga. Arjuna (Phālguna) is addressed as the narration unfolds through Nārada.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Tāraka
• Vajrāṅga
• Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Liṅga
• Arjuna (Phālalguna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The victory of dharma (Tāraka’s defeat) is followed by consecration—showing that spiritual power is stabilized through worship and sacred स्थापना (installation).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kumāranātha/Guha-associated sacred setting where “this liṅga” is said to be installed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act referenced is liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation); no procedural details are given in this verse.