Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सुकारश्चाक्षरो नित्यं जपाकुसुम भास्वरः । मनो बीजं दुर्विषह्यं पुलहाश्रितमर्थिदम्

Transliteration

sukāraścākṣaro nityaṃ japākusuma bhāsvaraḥ | mano bījaṃ durviṣahyaṃ pulahāśritamarthidam

Translation

Die Silbe „su“ ist ein ewiger, unvergänglicher Laut, strahlend wie die Hibiskusblüte. Sie ist der Samen des Geistes—schwer zu ertragen—ruhend in der Linie Pulahas und gewährt die ersehnten Ziele.

Word by Word

• सुकारः: the syllable ‘su’
• सुकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अक्षरः: imperishable syllable
• अक्षरः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सुकारस्य समानाधिकरण

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative): ‘always’

• जपाकुसुमभास्वरः: shining like hibiscus flowers
• जपाकुसुमभास्वरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जपा + कुसुम + भास्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः ‘जपाकुसुमवत् भास्वरः’ (उपमान-आधारित)

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (पद-रूप: मनः)

• बीजम्: seed (mantra)
• बीजम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मनः-सम्बन्धे समानाधिकरण/विधेय

• दुर्विषह्यम्: hard to withstand
• दुर्विषह्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + विषह्य (कृदन्त); सह् (धातु) + यत् (gerundive)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive): ‘hard to endure’

• पुलहाश्रितम्: resorted to/associated with Pulaha
• पुलहाश्रितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्रित (कृदन्त, क्त); आ+श्रि (धातु); पुलह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘पुलहेन आश्रितम्/पुलहं आश्रितम्’ (सम्बन्ध)

• अर्थिदम्: granting to supplicants
• अर्थिदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक ‘giver’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘अर्थिनां दम्/ददाति’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The syllable ‘su’ glows hibiscus-red above a rosary; petals drift like offerings; a serene sage invokes Pulaha’s lineage while a pilgrim’s mind is depicted as a subtle lotus receiving the seed-sound.

Characters & Entities

• Pulaha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mind is a sacred field to be mastered through mantra; when the mind-seed is engaged, it can fulfill aims and refine inner life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself is focused on mantra-bīja and rishi-association; a specific tīrtha is not named in the provided line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It commends the “su” syllable as manobīja, implying japa/ritual use, associated with Pulaha and said to grant desired ends.