Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 188

Devanagari script

शैवं षडक्षरं मंत्रं योजपेच्छ्रद्धयान्वितः । अपि ब्रह्मवधा त्पापं जातं तस्य प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

śaivaṃ ṣaḍakṣaraṃ maṃtraṃ yojapecchraddhayānvitaḥ | api brahmavadhā tpāpaṃ jātaṃ tasya praṇaśyati

Translation

«Quiconque, empli de foi, répète le mantra śivaïte de six syllabes, même le péché né du meurtre d’un brahmane est détruit pour lui.»

Word by Word

• शैवम्: Śaiva; pertaining to Śiva
• शैवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; qualifies ‘मन्त्रम्’

• षडक्षरम्: six-syllabled
• षडक्षरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षड् + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Dvigu compound ‘six-syllabled’; qualifies ‘मन्त्रम्’

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• यो: who
• यो: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun, nominative singular

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (आज्ञार्थ/संभावना), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, 3rd sg

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• अन्वितः: endowed; accompanied
• अन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √इ/अनु+इ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally; agrees with implied ‘यः’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) ‘even’

• ब्रह्मवधात्: from (the sin of) Brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्मवधात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from Brahmin-slaying’

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• जातम्: arisen; incurred
• जातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृत् (past participle) qualifying ‘पापम्’

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• प्रणश्यति: perishes; is destroyed
• प्रणश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present indicative, 3rd sg; प्र-उपसर्ग

Speaker

Suvrata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated near sacred waters, eyes half-closed, counting rudrākṣa beads; a subtle aura around the mantra syllables; shadowy forms of past sins dissolving into light associated with Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• ṣaḍakṣara-mantra (Śaiva)
• brahma-vadhā (brahmin-slaying)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful mantra-japa of Śiva is portrayed as a powerful purifier, capable of burning even the heaviest karmic stains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha context frames the instruction, but the verse chiefly glorifies Śiva-mantra potency rather than a named geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform japa of the Śaiva ṣaḍakṣara-mantra with śraddhā (faith) as a prāyaścitta and purifier.