Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 107
षडक्षरं मंत्रवरं तवेश जपंति ये मुनयो वीतरागाः । तेषां प्रसन्नोऽसि जपामहेतं त्वोंकारपूर्वं च नमः शिवाय
ṣaḍakṣaraṃ maṃtravaraṃ taveśa japaṃti ye munayo vītarāgāḥ | teṣāṃ prasanno'si japāmahetaṃ tvoṃkārapūrvaṃ ca namaḥ śivāya
يا ربّ إيشا، إنّ الحكماء من المونِي الزاهدين عن الشهوة يلهجون بجَپَا مانتراكَ الأسمى ذي المقاطع الستّ. ولهم تكون راضياً مُنعِماً. ونحن أيضاً نلهج بذلك المانترا مسبوقاً بـ«أوم»: «نَمَه شِفايَا».
A dvija devotee (as implied by the immediate narrative context)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata (epic-style addressee)
Scene: A serene ascetic or brāhmaṇa sits before a liṅga, hands in japa-mudrā, a subtle Oṃ radiance above, while vītarāga sages appear as a quiet chorus of seers; the mantra ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’ is visualized as a garland of syllables encircling the liṅga.
FAQs
Mantra-japa, especially the ṣaḍakṣarī ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’ with Oṃ, purifies desire and draws Śiva’s grace.
No particular place is named; the verse glorifies the mantra itself as a portable tirtha of liberation.
Japa of the six-syllable mantra ‘Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya,’ following the model of vītarāga munis.