Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तोऽथ देवेन स वणिग्लोभमोहितः । योजयामास बलका लिङ्गे चोत्तममध्यमान्

Transliteration

evamukto'tha devena sa vaṇiglobhamohitaḥ | yojayāmāsa balakā liṅge cottamamadhyamān

Translation

یوں دیوتا کے کہنے پر وہ تاجر لالچ کے فریب میں مبتلا ہو گیا۔ اس نے بَلاکا پرندوں کو لِنگ پر رکھنے کا اہتمام کیا اور انہیں بہترین اور درمیانی جگہوں پر جما دیا۔

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus)

• uktaḥ: (he) having been told/addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरबोधक (particle: then/now)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karta (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaṇik: the merchant
• vaṇik: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṇij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); (पाठे ‘वणिग्’ = ‘वणिक्’ व्यञ्जनसन्धि)

• lobha-mohitaḥ: deluded by greed
• lobha-mohitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lobha + mohita (प्रातिपदिक; moha from मुह्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तृतीया/हेतु): लोभेन मोहितः (deluded by greed)

• yojayāmāsa: he applied/attached
• yojayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular); causative sense (णिच्): योजयति → योजयामास

• balakāḥ: cranes (balakā birds)
• balakāḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• liṅge: on the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• uttama-madhyamān: the best and the middling (ones)
• uttama-madhyamān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama + madhyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर): उत्तमाश्च मध्यमाश्च

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice, likely Sūta/Skanda-context narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The merchant, eyes gleaming with greed, begins placing balākā birds onto/around the liṅga, arranging them as if in ranked positions—an odd, mistaken ‘decoration’ that signals delusion.

Characters & Entities

• Parameśvara (Śiva)
• vaṇik (merchant)
• liṅga
• balākā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed can distort devotion; actions around a Śiva-liṅga should be guided by sincerity rather than profit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devamārga/Balākeśvara setting within Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā-region sacred geography) is being prepared for glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed here; it narrates arranging offerings/ornamentation (balākā) upon the liṅga.