Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

मूर्ध्नि पत्रं ततो न्यस्य न्यस्तपत्रं निवेशयेत् । पत्रे मंत्रस्त्वयं लेख्यो यः पुरोक्तः श्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

mūrdhni patraṃ tato nyasya nyastapatraṃ niveśayet | patre maṃtrastvayaṃ lekhyo yaḥ puroktaḥ śvayaṃbhuvā

Translation

Ensuite, posant une feuille sur sa tête, qu’on fixe en place la feuille ainsi déposée. Sur la feuille, on doit écrire ce mantra—celui qu’autrefois énonça Svayambhū (Brahmā).

Word by Word

• mūrdhni: on the head
• mūrdhni: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• patram: a leaf/leaf-sheet
• patram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• nyasya: having placed
• nyasya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ni-√as (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः

• nyastapatram: the placed leaf
• nyastapatram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyasta (कृदन्त; ni-√as धातु) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (placed-leaf)

• niveśayet: should set/insert
• niveśayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्; णिच् (causative: cause to place/insert)

• patre: on/in the leaf
• patre: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• maṃtraḥ: the mantra
• maṃtraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

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

• lekhyaḥ: to be written
• lekhyaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lekhya (कृदन्त; √likh धातु)
• Form: भाव्य/कर्तव्य (gerundive), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विधेय-विशेषणम्

• yaḥ: which/who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• puroktaḥ: previously stated
• puroktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pura-ukta (कृदन्त; √vac/√ukṣ? here √vac 'to say' via ukta)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• svayaṃbhuvā: by Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• svayaṃbhuvā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest gently places a fresh leaf on the man’s head, ties or secures it with a thread/cloth band, and writes a mantra on the leaf with a stylus/ink while assistants hold a manuscript and lamp.

Characters & Entities

• Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred speech (mantra) sanctifies procedure; dharma is upheld through divinely authorized rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse details a ritual step involving mantra inscription.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place a leaf on the person’s head and write on it the mantra taught by Brahmā (Svayambhū).