Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ओंकारसहितं यच्च द्वादशाक्षरबीजकम् । जपतः पापकोटीनां दावाग्नित्वं प्रजायते

Transliteration

oṃkārasahitaṃ yacca dvādaśākṣarabījakam | japataḥ pāpakoṭīnāṃ dāvāgnitvaṃ prajāyate

Translation

Et cette mantra-graine de douze syllabes, jointe à Oṃ—quand on la répète en japa, des crores de péchés deviennent comme le bois d’un feu de forêt et sont consumés.

Word by Word

• ओंकारसहितम्: accompanied by Oṃkāra
• ओंकारसहितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ओंकारसहित (प्रातिपदिक; ओंकार + सहित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः ‘ओंकारेण सहितम्’

• यत्: which/that (mantra)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्ययः (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction ‘and’)

• द्वादशाक्षरबीजकम्: the seed-mantra of twelve syllables
• द्वादशाक्षरबीजकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशाक्षरबीजक (प्रातिपदिक; द्वादश + अक्षर + बीजक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘द्वादश-अक्षराणां बीजकम्’

• जपतः: of (one) chanting
• जपतः: Sambandha (Genitive agent/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle) ‘जपत्’; षष्ठी, एकवचन (of one who is chanting)

• पापकोटीनाम्: of crores of sins
• पापकोटीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापकोटि (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + कोटि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘पापानां कोटयः’

• दावाग्नित्वम्: the state of being a forest-fire
• दावाग्नित्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दावाग्नित्व (प्रातिपदिक; दावाग्नि + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘दावाग्नेः भावः’ (त्व-प्रत्यय, abstract noun)

• प्रजायते: arises/comes into being
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sādhaka seated at a tīrtha-bank at dawn, counting japa on a mālā; behind him a stylized forest-fire motif consumes dark, smoky forms labeled as sins, while a radiant Oṃ and a garland of twelve syllables hover above.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• Dvādaśākṣara (twelve-syllable mantra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Chanting the twelve-syllable seed with Oṃ is proclaimed as intensely purifying, burning vast sin like a forest fire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The merit is stated in general within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame; no single tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of the Oṃ-prefixed twelve-syllable seed-mantra.