Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

किं तस्य बहुभिर्मंत्रैः किं तीर्थैः किं तपोऽध्वरैः । यस्योंनमः शिवायेति मंत्रो हृदयगोचरः

Transliteration

kiṃ tasya bahubhirmaṃtraiḥ kiṃ tīrthaiḥ kiṃ tapo'dhvaraiḥ | yasyoṃnamaḥ śivāyeti maṃtro hṛdayagocaraḥ

Translation

À quoi bon de nombreux autres mantras, des pèlerinages, des austérités et des sacrifices, pour celui dont le cœur est habité par « Oṃ namaḥ śivāya » ?

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Predicate interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण—मन्त्रैः

• मन्त्रैः: by mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Predicate interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• तीर्थैः: by pilgrimages/sacred places
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Predicate interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• अध्वरैः: by sacrifices
• अध्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• आहोम्: indeed
• आहोम्: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आहोम् (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: निपात (exclamatory/particle)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Predicate nominal (प्रयोगगत)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थक

• शिवाय: to Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotative marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति सूचक अव्यय

• मन्त्रः: the mantra
• मन्त्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• हृदयगोचरः: accessible to the heart / heart-pervading
• हृदयगोचरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण—मन्त्रः; समासः—हृदयस्य गोचरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator in Brahmottara-khaṇḍa (likely Sūta/compilational voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated in meditation with the mantra glowing in the heart-lotus; around them fade symbols of many rites—sacrificial fire, pilgrimage paths, multiple mantra-scrolls—indicating their essence absorbed into the heart-mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃ
• Namaḥ Śivāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the Śiva-mantra becomes inwardly established, it is portrayed as sufficient compared to external multiplicity of rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is praised; rather, the verse relativizes tīrtha-travel in comparison to heart-established mantra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Internalization and japa of ‘Oṃ namaḥ śivāya’; other rites are declared non-essential for one so established.