Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

क एष पिप्पलादस्तु कस्य पुत्रो वदस्व नः । किमर्थं स्थापितं लिंगं क्षेत्रे तत्र महात्मना

Transliteration

ka eṣa pippalādastu kasya putro vadasva naḥ | kimarthaṃ sthāpitaṃ liṃgaṃ kṣetre tatra mahātmanā

Translation

یہ پِپّلاَد کون ہے اور وہ کس کا بیٹا ہے؟ ہمیں بتائیے۔ اس مہاتما نے اس مقدس کھیتر میں وہ لِنگ کس سبب سے قائم کیا؟

Word by Word

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/प्रश्न

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• pippalādaḥ: Pippalāda
• pippalādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pippalāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• kasya: of whom
• kasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive question)

• putraḥ: son
• putraḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विधेय

• vadasva: tell (us)
• vadasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• naḥ: to us
• naḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: चतुर्थी बहुवचन (enclitic); सम्प्रदान

• kim-artham: for what reason; why
• kim-artham: Sambandha (Reason/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रश्न-अव्यय (हेतु-प्रश्न adverb)

• sthāpitam: installed
• sthāpitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: क्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; liṅgam-विशेषण

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

• kṣetre: in the sacred field
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent)

Speaker

Ṛṣis/Sages (deduced from continuation of their question in 174.3)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaṃsāreśvara (contextual)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages leaning forward with questioning gestures; Sūta poised to answer; a faint background vignette of an ascetic youth (Pippalāda) under a tree, suggesting forthcoming backstory.

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Liṅga
• Kṣetra (holy field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma values lineage and intention: sacred acts like liṅga-sthāpana are understood through the installer’s identity and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘kṣetra’ is the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra setting of the Tīrthamāhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a request for the backstory behind the installation.