Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पञ्चाक्षर नमो देव पञ्चभूतात्मविग्रह । पञ्चवक्त्रमयेशान वेदैस्त्वं तु प्रगीयसे

Transliteration

pañcākṣara namo deva pañcabhūtātmavigraha | pañcavaktramayeśāna vedaistvaṃ tu pragīyase

Translation

Ehrerbietung Dir durch das fünf-silbige Mantra, o Deva — Dir, dessen Gestalt das Selbst der fünf großen Elemente ist. O Īśāna, als der Fünfgesichtige offenbar, wirst Du wahrlich in den Veden besungen.

Word by Word

• pañcākṣara: O five-syllabled (mantra)
• pañcākṣara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• namaḥ: homage
• namaḥ: Sambodhana-prayoga (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/interjection), नमस्कारार्थे

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• pañcabhūtātmavigraha: O one whose form is the self of the five elements
• pañcabhūtātmavigraha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca + bhūta + ātman + vigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• pañcavaktramayeśāna: O Īśāna consisting of five faces
• pañcavaktramayeśāna: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca + vaktra + maya + īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vedaiḥ: by the Vedas
• vedaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थे (contrast/emphasis)

• pragīyase: are sung/praised
• pragīyase: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gai (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Devas

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas chant the pañcākṣarī as luminous syllables encircle Śiva; Śiva appears as Pañcavaktra with five faces oriented to directions, elements symbolized (earth, water, fire, air, ether) around him.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Īśāna
• Vedas
• Pañcākṣara (Namaḥ Śivāya)
• Pañcabhūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is both mantra (pañcākṣara) and cosmos (five elements), and His supremacy is affirmed by Vedic testimony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While not naming a single shrine, it belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa praise-context, supporting the Narmadā region’s Śiva-centered sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa and salutation of the pañcākṣarī—‘namaḥ śivāya’—is directly invoked as the devotional act.