Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अक्षरं वा जपेन्मन्त्रं ध्यायमानो दिवाकरम् । आदित्यहृदयं जप्त्वा मुच्यते सर्वकिल्बिषैः

Transliteration

akṣaraṃ vā japenmantraṃ dhyāyamāno divākaram | ādityahṛdayaṃ japtvā mucyate sarvakilbiṣaiḥ

Translation

Oder, indem man Divākara meditiert, kann man sogar nur eine einzige Silbe als Mantra wiederholen. Durch das Rezitieren des Āditya-hṛdaya wird man von allen Befleckungen und Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• अक्षरम्: a syllable
• अक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्त्रम्: a mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ध्यायमानः: meditating
• ध्यायमानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• दिवाकरम्: the Sun
• दिवाकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आदित्यहृदयम्: Āditya-hṛdaya (Sun’s heart hymn)
• आदित्यहृदयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य-हृदय (प्रातिपदिक; आदित्य + हृदय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आदित्यस्य हृदयम्)

• जप्त्वा: having recited
• जप्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having recited)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्वकिल्बिषैः: from all sins/impurities
• सर्वकिल्बिषैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + किल्बिष)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; करण/हेतुभाव-निवृत्त्यर्थे (freed from/by)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands at dawn after bathing, eyes half-closed in dhyāna, chanting Āditya-hṛdaya; the sun manifests as a radiant deity; behind, lotuses and steps of the pond; subtle aura cleansing dark stains (kilbiṣa) from the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Divākara (Sūrya)
• Āditya-hṛdaya
• Japa
• Dhyāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meditation on the Sun and sincere mantra-japa—especially Āditya-hṛdaya—are powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Puṣkariṇī and its Sūrya-arcana setting within Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna of Divākara and japa—either even a single syllable mantra, or the full Āditya-hṛdaya hymn.