Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

निष्कामो वाऽथ संपूज्य लिंगमेतच्छुभावहम् । प्रयास्यति परां सिद्धिं त्रिदशैरपि दुर्लभाम्

Transliteration

niṣkāmo vā'tha saṃpūjya liṃgametacchubhāvaham | prayāsyati parāṃ siddhiṃ tridaśairapi durlabhām

Translation

Hoặc nếu người ấy vô dục, thì nhờ chí thành thờ phụng liṅga cát tường này, sẽ đạt đến sự thành tựu tối thượng—hiếm có ngay cả giữa chư thiên.

Word by Word

• niṣkāmaḥ: desireless
• niṣkāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣ-kāma (प्रातिपदिक: niṣ + kāma)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/प्रसङ्गसूचक (sequencing particle)

• saṃpūjya: having duly worshipped
• saṃpūjya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śubhāvaham: bringing auspiciousness
• śubhāvaham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha-āvaha (प्रातिपदिक: śubha + āvaha)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• prayāsyati: will attain/go to
• prayāsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• parām: supreme
• parām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• siddhim: attainment, perfection
• siddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tridaśaiḥ: by the gods (thirty)
• tridaśaiḥ: Karana/Agent-comparison (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कारक (particle: even/also)

• durlabhām: hard to obtain
• durlabhām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-labha (प्रातिपदिक: dur + labha)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Indra (contextually continuing from prior verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kuṇḍa-tīrtha liṅga (name not specified)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) sages/assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in quiet composure offers flowers and water to the liṅga with no visible petition; the scene emphasizes stillness—soft light around the liṅga, gods in the sky watching in awe at the ‘rare even for devas’ attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva Liṅga
• Tridaśas (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Beyond worldly boons, desireless devotion at a sacred Śaiva site can grant the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same kuṇḍa-linked liṅga of Adhyāya 79 is praised as auspicious and liberation-oriented; the proper place-name is not in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Complete worship (saṃpūjā) of the liṅga, especially in a niṣkāma (desireless) spirit.