Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अतः सद्गुरुमाश्रित्य ग्राह्योऽयं मंत्रनायकः । पुण्यक्षेत्रेषु जप्तव्यः सद्यः सिद्धिं प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

ataḥ sadgurumāśritya grāhyo'yaṃ maṃtranāyakaḥ | puṇyakṣetreṣu japtavyaḥ sadyaḥ siddhiṃ prayacchati

Translation

Darum soll man, Zuflucht bei einem wahren Sadguru nehmend, dieses herrscherliche Mantra empfangen. In verdienstvollen heiligen Stätten (puṇya‑kṣetra) ist es zu rezitieren; es verleiht sogleich Siddhi.

Word by Word

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (therefore)

• sad-gurum: the true guru
• sad-gurum: Karma (Object of gerund/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

• āśritya: having taken refuge in
• āśritya: Sambandha (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + √śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having resorted to

• grāhyaḥ: to be accepted/received
• grāhyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √grah (ग्रह् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: to be accepted)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mantra-nāyakaḥ: leader among mantras
• mantra-nāyakaḥ: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + nāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—मन्त्राणां नायकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• puṇya-kṣetreṣu: in holy places
• puṇya-kṣetreṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (पुण्यं क్షेत्रम्)

• japtavyaḥ: to be recited
• japtavyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jap (जप् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: should be recited)

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (immediately)

• siddhim: success/attainment
• siddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prayacchati: bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √yam (यम् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Brāhma Khaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: puṇya-kṣetra (generic)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-disciple bows to a serene guru, receiving the mantra; then the scene shifts to chanting within a famed sacred precinct, suggesting ‘mantra-nāyaka’ as a regal presence.

Characters & Entities

• Sadguru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right transmission (guru) and right setting (puṇya-kṣetra) together amplify spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It refers broadly to puṇya-kṣetras; specific tīrthas (like Prayāga and Puṣkara) are named in the next verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Accept the mantra through a sadguru and perform japa in holy places for swift results.