Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

न प्रापुर्लोकनाथं ते कृत्वा यः प्रतिमाकृतिम् । तपसाराधयामासुः सर्वभूतहृदिस्थितम्

Transliteration

na prāpurlokanāthaṃ te kṛtvā yaḥ pratimākṛtim | tapasārādhayāmāsuḥ sarvabhūtahṛdisthitam

Translation

انہوں نے محض ایک پیکرِ بت بنا کر لوک ناتھ کو نہ پایا؛ بلکہ تپسیا کے ذریعے اس کی عبادت کی جو سب جانداروں کے دلوں میں بسا ہوا ہے۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• prāpuḥ: attained/reached
• prāpuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• loka-nātham: the Lord of the world
• loka-nātham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य नाथम्)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having made/done’

• yaḥ: which/that
• yaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• pratimā-kṛtim: an image-form (a made idol)
• pratimā-kṛtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रतिमायाः कृतिम्)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ārādhayāmāsuḥ: they worshipped/propitiated
• ārādhayāmāsuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√radh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative stem ārādhaya-)

• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi-sthitam: dwelling in the hearts of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi-sthitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛd (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वभूतानां हृदि स्थितम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas abandon mere craftsmanship of an idol and instead sit in austere meditation, bodies radiant with tapas, focusing inward on the heart-lotus where Śiva shines.

Characters & Entities

• Lokanātha (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External forms alone are insufficient; true attainment comes through disciplined tapas and worship of the indwelling Lord present in all hearts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but this line itself emphasizes inner realization rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) as the means of ārādhana (propitiatory worship), beyond mere crafting of a pratimā (image).