Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

किं तस्य बहुभिर्मन्त्रैः कंठशोषणतत्परैः । येनौंनमः शिवायेति प्रोक्तं देवस्य संनिधौ

Transliteration

kiṃ tasya bahubhirmantraiḥ kaṃṭhaśoṣaṇatatparaiḥ | yenauṃnamaḥ śivāyeti proktaṃ devasya saṃnidhau

Translation

À quoi bon de nombreux mantras qui ne font que dessécher la gorge, si, dans la présence même du Seigneur, il a prononcé : «Oṃ namaḥ śivāya» ?

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचनम् (Singular); प्रश्नार्थक-प्रयोगः

• तस्य: for him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine/Generic), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine/Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• मन्त्रैः: mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• कण्ठशोषणतत्परैः: intent on drying the throat (mere recitation)
• कण्ठशोषणतत्परैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कण्ठ + शोषण + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine/Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural); तत्पुरुषः (उपपद/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध): 'कण्ठशोषणे तत्पराः' (intent on throat-drying)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• ॐ: Oṃ
• ॐ: Sambandha (Mantric element/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ॐ (अव्यय)
• Form: मन्त्र-बीज-अव्ययम् (sacred syllable)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात-प्रयोगः (indeclinable interjection used in salutations)

• शिवाय: to Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्ययम् (quotative particle)

• प्रोक्तम्: is uttered/said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गः (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• संनिधौ: in the presence
• संनिधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic speaker within Revā Khaṇḍa; traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa relaying the māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-sannidhi (Revā-khaṇḍa context)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up devotional moment: a pilgrim before the liṅga softly utters ‘oṃ namaḥ śivāya’; surrounding scrolls/mantras fade into the background, emphasizing simplicity and essence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Oṃ namaḥ śivāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere remembrance of Śiva through the ṣaḍakṣara can outweigh mere accumulation of many recitations without depth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implied is worship before a Śiva-liṅga/shrine (deva-saṃnidhi), within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage atmosphere rather than a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Utterance/japa of ‘Oṃ namaḥ śivāya’ in the Lord’s presence.