Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

अष्टाक्षरैश्चतुर्बाहुं ध्यायंति मुनिसत्तमाः । बहुनाऽत्र किमुक्तेन गजाहं प्रवदामि ते

Transliteration

aṣṭākṣaraiścaturbāhuṃ dhyāyaṃti munisattamāḥ | bahunā'tra kimuktena gajāhaṃ pravadāmi te

Translation

بالمَنْترا ذات المقاطع الثمانية يتأمّل خِيارُ الحكماء الربَّ ذا الأذرع الأربع. فما الحاجة إلى الإكثار من القول هنا؟ يا أيها الفيل، سأصرّح لك به جليًّا.

Word by Word

• अष्टाक्षरैः: with eight-syllabled (mantras)
• अष्टाक्षरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘with eight-syllabled (mantras)’

• चतुर्बाहुम्: the four-armed (deity)
• चतुर्बाहुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — कर्मपद; ‘the four-armed (one)’

• ध्यायन्ति: meditate (upon)
• ध्यायन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘meditate’

• मुनिसत्तमाः: the best sages
• मुनिसत्तमाः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन — कर्तृपद; ‘best of sages’

• बहुना: with much (speech)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by much (talk)’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place) — ‘here’

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — प्रश्नार्थक; ‘what?’

• उक्तेन: by (what is) said
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used as noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by what is said’

• गजा: indeed; surely
• गजा: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गजा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय/निपात (emphatic particle; textual variant), अर्थः ‘indeed/clearly’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन — कर्तृपद

• प्रवदामि: I declare
• प्रवदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन — ‘I declare/say’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन — ‘to you’

Speaker

Bhadra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gaja (Elephant)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-ashram or riverbank assembly: venerable sages seated in meditation, mentally chanting the aṣṭākṣarī while visualizing a radiant four-armed Viṣṇu; the speaker turns to address an elephant respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Caturbāhu (Viṣṇu)
• Aṣṭākṣarī (mantra)
• Gaja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes focused and effective through mantra-based meditation on the Lord; concise truth is valued over excessive speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, preparing the listener for the tīrtha’s praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation/japa connected with the aṣṭākṣarī mantra and contemplation of the four-armed Lord.