Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

न तच्छ्रेयोऽग्निहोत्रेण नाग्निष्टोमेन लभ्यते । प्राप्नुवन्ति च यच्छ्रेयो मानवा लिङ्गपूजने

Transliteration

na tacchreyo'gnihotreṇa nāgniṣṭomena labhyate | prāpnuvanti ca yacchreyo mānavā liṅgapūjane

Translation

وہ اعلیٰ ترین بھلائی نہ اگنی ہوترا سے ملتی ہے، نہ اگنِشٹوم سے۔ مگر جو بھلائی انسان پاتے ہیں—وہی برترین فلاح—لِنگ کی پوجا سے حاصل ہوتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेधार्थक-निपात

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (‘śreyaḥ’)

• śreyaḥ: the highest good; benefit
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• agnihotreṇa: by the Agnihotra rite
• agnihotreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agnihotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; अग्नि + होत्र

• na: nor/not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेधार्थक-निपात

• agniṣṭomena: by the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice
• agniṣṭomena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agniṣṭoma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; अग्नि + स्तोम

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: ‘is obtained’)

• prāpnuvanti: they attain
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) उपसर्गः प्र +
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (‘śreyaḥ’)

• śreyaḥ: the highest good
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• mānavāḥ: humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• liṅgapūjane: in the worship of the liṅga
• liṅgapūjane: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; लिङ्गस्य पूजनम्

Speaker

Sages (collective ṛṣis, continuing counsel within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: on one side a Vedic altar with agni and implements (Agnihotra/Agniṣṭoma), on the other a simple liṅga with bilva leaves and water; the narrative visually asserts liṅga-pūjā’s superior śreyas.

Characters & Entities

• Agnihotra
• Agniṣṭoma
• Liṅga-pūjā
• Humans (mānavāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship (bhakti expressed as liṅga-pūjā) is affirmed as a direct and accessible path to śreyas, surpassing certain complex sacrificial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Revā-khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, supporting Śaiva pilgrimage culture broadly rather than naming a single site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā is explicitly upheld as the practice through which humans attain the highest welfare; Agnihotra and Agniṣṭoma are mentioned for comparison.