Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 124

Devanagari script

अष्टोत्तरशतं नाम्नां श्रृणु त्वं तानि फाल्गुन । जपेन येषां पापानि यांति ज्ञानमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

aṣṭottaraśataṃ nāmnāṃ śrṛṇu tvaṃ tāni phālguna | japena yeṣāṃ pāpāni yāṃti jñānamavāpnuyāt

Translation

Ô Phālguna, écoute ces cent huit noms ; par leur répétition en japa, les péchés s’évanouissent et l’on obtient la connaissance spirituelle.

Word by Word

• aṣṭottaraśatam: one hundred and eight
• aṣṭottaraśatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa + uttara + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-समास (aṣṭa-uttara-śata = 108)

• nāmnām: of (the) names
• nāmnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• śrṛṇu: hear
• śrṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• tāni: those (names)
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• phālguna: O Phālguna
• phālguna: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phālguna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन-प्रयोग

• japena: by recitation (japa)
• japena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• yeṣām: of which (names)
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• yānti: go away / depart
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• avāpnuyāt: may obtain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Viśvāmitra (introducing the nāmāvalī; inferred from immediate context of composing the stava)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses Phālguna (Arjuna) in a calm sacred setting, introducing a rosary and palm-leaf manuscript of the 108 names; subtle aura around the names as luminous syllables dissolving darkness (sins) and revealing a lamp-like knowledge within the heart.

Characters & Entities

• Phālguna (Arjuna)
• Skanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred name-recitation (nāma-japa) is portrayed as a direct purifier that leads from pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin) to jñāna (spiritual insight).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse glorifies the merit (puṇya) of Skanda’s 108 names.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of Skanda’s aṣṭottaraśata-nāma (108 names) for purification and attainment of knowledge.