Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

मायाबीजं तु सर्वेषां कूटानां हि वरानने । सर्वेषां मध्यमो वर्णो बिंदुना दादिशोभितः

Transliteration

māyābījaṃ tu sarveṣāṃ kūṭānāṃ hi varānane | sarveṣāṃ madhyamo varṇo biṃdunā dādiśobhitaḥ

Translation

O Schönangesichtige, das māyā-bīja ist wahrlich in allen kūṭas. In allen leuchtet der mittlere Buchstabe, geschmückt mit einem bindu.

Word by Word

• मायाबीजम्: the seed of māyā
• मायाबीजम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मायायाः बीजम्)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• कूटानाम्: of the kūṭas (mystic syllabic groups)
• कूटानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• हि: indeed / for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक (for/indeed)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (वरम् आननम् यस्याः)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मध्यमः: middle
• मध्यमः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वर्णः: letter/syllable
• वर्णः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बिंदुना: with a bindu (dot)
• बिंदुना: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिंदु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• दादि: beginning with ‘da’
• दादि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द (वर्ण/प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्राय/समास; ‘द-आदि’ = ‘beginning with da’; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन (शोभितः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• शोभितः: adorned
• शोभितः: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शुभ्/शोभ्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (teaching to Pārvatī; vocative varānane)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An esoteric teaching scene: Śiva explains to Pārvatī the māyā-bīja present in all kūṭas; a glowing bindu above a central syllable is visualized as radiant.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Māyā-bīja
• Bindu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra is presented as a structured, subtle science: seed-syllables and their marks (like bindu) are essential to the inner power of practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse is a technical mantra instruction within the Dharmāraṇya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, mantra-japa with correct bīja/phonetics (including bindu) is indicated; no external rite is specified.