Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 136

Devanagari script

पंचमंत्रायुतजपफलं यस्येह दर्शनात् । ततः सपर्ययाक्ष्यर्च्य महत्यासौ प्रणम्य च

Transliteration

paṃcamaṃtrāyutajapaphalaṃ yasyeha darśanāt | tataḥ saparyayākṣyarcya mahatyāsau praṇamya ca

Translation

Schon durch bloßen Darśana hier erlangt man die Frucht, als hätte man das Fünf-Mantra zehntausendmal gejapa; darauf verehrte er mit rechten Gaben, vollzog ehrfürchtig die Arcana und verneigte sich in großer Hingabe.

Word by Word

• paṃca-mantra-āyuta-japa-phalam: the fruit of ten-thousand recitations of five mantras
• paṃca-mantra-āyuta-japa-phalam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuta (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (पञ्चमन्त्राणाम् आयुतजपस्य फलम्)

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (here/in this world)

• darśanāt: from (mere) seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereupon/from that)

• saparyā: worship/service
• saparyā: Karma (Object within gerund chain/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saparyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; (कर्मरूपेण—पूजा)

• ākṣya: having seen
• ākṣya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + kṣi (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); अव्ययभाव; उपसर्ग: आ; अर्थः—दृष्ट्वा/अवलोक्य (having seen)

• arcya: having worshipped
• arcya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) रूपेण प्रयोगः (for arcitvā); अव्ययभाव; अर्थः—पूजयित्वा

• mahatyā: with great (worship)
• mahatyā: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; विशेषण (of saparyā)

• asau: he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); अव्ययभाव; उपसर्ग: प्र

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

Speaker

Nārada (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (Mahākāleśvara)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Textual phala-śruti overlays a worship scene: the king offers upacāras, performs arcana, and prostrates deeply before Mahākāla, whose presence radiates mantra-power.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Darśana
• Pañca-mantra (pañcākṣarī implied)
• Japa
• Arcana
• Praṇāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred presence (darśana) at a powerful Śaiva sthala can bestow immense merit, especially when followed by humble worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s holy site, where darśana is declared extraordinarily merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana, followed by saparyā (service), arcana (worship), and praṇāma (prostration); the merit is compared to ayuta-japa of the five-mantra.