Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । यदि सप्रणवं दद्याद्द्वादशाक्षरचिंतनम । प्रणवे नाधिकारो मे कथं भवति धूर्जटे

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | yadi sapraṇavaṃ dadyāddvādaśākṣaraciṃtanama | praṇave nādhikāro me kathaṃ bhavati dhūrjaṭe

Translation

পার্বতী বললেন—যদি প্রণবসহ দ্বাদশাক্ষর মন্ত্রের ধ্যান দান করা হয়, তবে হে ধূর্জটি! প্রণবে আমার অধিকার না থাকলে তা আমার ক্ষেত্রে কীভাবে প্রযোজ্য হবে?

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Logical connector (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• सप्रणवम्: together with praṇava (Oṃ)
• सप्रणवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—सह-तत्पुरुष (प्रणवेन सह)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• द्वादशाक्षरचिन्तनम्: contemplation of the twelve-syllable (mantra)
• द्वादशाक्षरचिन्तनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + अक्षर + चिन्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्वादशानाम् अक्षराणां चिन्तनम्)

• प्रणवे: in/with regard to praṇava
• प्रणवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अधिकारः: eligibility/authority
• अधिकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• धूर्जटे: O Dhūrjaṭi (Śiva)
• धूर्जटे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūrjaṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva/Dhūrjaṭi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, seated near Śiva (Dhūrjaṭi), asks with humility about the rule of prefixing praṇava to the twelve-syllable mantra, expressing concern about eligibility.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Śiva (Dhūrjaṭi)
• Praṇava (Oṃ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual practice invites clarification: one must reconcile general prescriptions with one’s authorized mode of practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on mantra-vidhi within the māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It discusses whether dvādaśākṣara contemplation should include praṇava, raising the issue of eligibility (adhikāra).