Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अतः सद्गुरुमाश्रित्य ग्राह्योऽयं मंत्रनायकः । पुण्यक्षेत्रेषु जप्तव्यः सद्यः सिद्धिं प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

ataḥ sadgurumāśritya grāhyo'yaṃ maṃtranāyakaḥ | puṇyakṣetreṣu japtavyaḥ sadyaḥ siddhiṃ prayacchati

Translation

Ainsi, prenant refuge auprès d’un véritable guru, qu’on reçoive ce mantra souverain. Qu’il soit récité dans des lieux saints riches de mérite (puṇya), et il accorde aussitôt la siddhi.

Word by Word

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (therefore)

• sad-gurum: the true guru
• sad-gurum: Karma (Object of gerund/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

• āśritya: having taken refuge in
• āśritya: Sambandha (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + √śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having resorted to

• grāhyaḥ: to be accepted/received
• grāhyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √grah (ग्रह् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: to be accepted)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mantra-nāyakaḥ: leader among mantras
• mantra-nāyakaḥ: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + nāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—मन्त्राणां नायकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• puṇya-kṣetreṣu: in holy places
• puṇya-kṣetreṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (पुण्यं क్షेत्रम्)

• japtavyaḥ: to be recited
• japtavyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jap (जप् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: should be recited)

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (immediately)

• siddhim: success/attainment
• siddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prayacchati: bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √yam (यम् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Brāhma Khaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: puṇya-kṣetra (generic)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-disciple bows to a serene guru, receiving the mantra; then the scene shifts to chanting within a famed sacred precinct, suggesting ‘mantra-nāyaka’ as a regal presence.

Characters & Entities

• Sadguru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right transmission (guru) and right setting (puṇya-kṣetra) together amplify spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It refers broadly to puṇya-kṣetras; specific tīrthas (like Prayāga and Puṣkara) are named in the next verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Accept the mantra through a sadguru and perform japa in holy places for swift results.