Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वकारः कुन्दधवलो व्योमबीजो महाबलः । ऋषिमंत्रिपुरस्कृत्य योजितो मोक्षदायकः

Transliteration

vakāraḥ kundadhavalo vyomabījo mahābalaḥ | ṛṣimaṃtripuraskṛtya yojito mokṣadāyakaḥ

Translation

Die Silbe „va“, weiß wie Jasmin, ist der machtvolle Samen (bīja) des Äther-/Himmelsprinzips. Wird sie regelgemäß gebraucht, indem ṛṣi und Mantras vorangestellt werden, wird sie zur Spenderin der Befreiung (mokṣa).

Word by Word

• वकारः: the syllable ‘va’
• वकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुन्दधवलः: white like jasmine
• कुन्दधवलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुन्द + धवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘कुन्द इव धवलः’

• व्योमबीजः: the seed (mantra) of the sky
• व्योमबीजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योम + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (व्योम्नः बीजः)

• महाबलः: very powerful
• महाबलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ऋषिमन्त्रि: sages and ministers
• ऋषिमन्त्रि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative); द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समाहार/एकवचन-प्रयोग)

• पुरस्कृत्य: having put forward / having honored
• पुरस्कृत्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having placed in front / having honored’

• योजितः: is applied/assigned
• योजितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘योजित’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• मोक्षदायकः: bestower of liberation
• मोक्षदायकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोक्ष + दायक (प्रातिपदिक); दा (धातु) + ण्वुल् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘मोक्षं ददाति’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn in a quiet tīrtha, a yogic devotee chants ‘va’; a jasmine-white syllable expands into a vast sky-mandala, dissolving worldly forms into serene space, suggesting mokṣa.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is presented as attainable through correctly ordered sacred practice—mantra used with proper lineage/procedure becomes mokṣa-oriented.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is primarily about vyoma-bīja and mokṣa; the particular tīrtha is not specified within this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use the “va” syllable as vyoma-bīja, with due attention to ṛṣi/mantra arrangement (puraskṛtya), for mokṣa-fruit.