Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

मनो विष्णौ समावेश्य विधाय प्राणसंयमम् । ओंकारोच्चारणाद्धीमान्हृदि पद्मं विकासयन्

Transliteration

mano viṣṇau samāveśya vidhāya prāṇasaṃyamam | oṃkāroccāraṇāddhīmānhṛdi padmaṃ vikāsayan

Translation

Fixant son esprit sur Viṣṇu et établissant la maîtrise du souffle, le sage—par l’énonciation de Oṃ—fit s’épanouir le lotus du cœur.

Word by Word

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• viṣṇau: in Viṣṇu
• viṣṇau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Masculine, Locative, Singular

• samāveśya: having fixed/entered (it)
• samāveśya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (gerund) of √viś with upasargas sam+ā

• vidhāya: having performed
• vidhāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-dhā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (gerund) of √dhā with upasarga vi

• prāṇa-saṃyamam: restraint of the breath
• prāṇa-saṃyamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• oṃkāra-uccāraṇāt: from/through the utterance of Oṃkāra
• oṃkāra-uccāraṇāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + uccāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• dhīmān: the wise one
• dhīmān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhīmat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Neuter, Locative, Singular

• padmam: lotus
• padmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• vikāsayan: causing to bloom/opening
• vikāsayan: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-kās (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Present active participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā (as outer support) / Hṛdaya-padma (as inner tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The ascetic seated in meditation; a subtle luminous lotus at the heart opens petal by petal with each oṃ; breath depicted as a gentle inner current; Viṣṇu’s presence felt as a calm radiance within.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Oṃkāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner worship begins with mind-control and breath-restraint, culminating in Oṃ-centered contemplation that awakens the heart toward Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to Ayodhyā Māhātmya, setting a devotional-yogic frame for Ayodhyā’s sanctity, though this verse itself focuses on inner practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāṇa-saṃyama (breath restraint) and Oṃkāra-uccāraṇa (recitation of Oṃ) as supports for meditation on Viṣṇu.