Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मरूपं हरिं ध्यायञ्जपन्वै द्वादशाक्षरम् । वायुभक्षः स्थितस्तत्र विप्रस्त्रीन्वत्सरान्वसन्

Transliteration

brahmarūpaṃ hariṃ dhyāyañjapanvai dvādaśākṣaram | vāyubhakṣaḥ sthitastatra viprastrīnvatsarānvasan

Translation

Méditant Hari dans sa forme de Brahman et répétant en vérité le mantra de douze syllabes, le brahmane demeura là, ne se nourrissant que d’air, durant trois ans.

Word by Word

• brahma-rūpam: having the form of Brahman
• brahma-rūpam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular (विशेषण of harim)

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• dhyāyan: meditating
• dhyāyan: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Present active participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• japan: muttering/reciting
• japan: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jap (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Present active participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (अव्यय), अवधानार्थ/एवकारार्थ; Particle (emphatic)

• dvādaśa-akṣaram: the twelve-syllabled (mantra)
• dvādaśa-akṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• vāyu-bhakṣaḥ: one who subsists on air
• vāyu-bhakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्म/उपपद), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• sthitaḥ: remaining/staying
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूत), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय; Adverb of place

• vipraḥ: the brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• trīn: three
• trīn: Karma (Object-quantifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Plural (विशेषण of vatsarān)

• vatsarān: years
• vatsarān: Kāla-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• vasan: dwelling
• vasan: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (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

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Brahmin ascetic sits motionless in Ayodhyā, eyes half-closed, repeating the twelve-syllabled mantra; his body is lean from austerity, surrounded by still air and faint temple silhouettes.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Brahman
• Dvādaśākṣara (twelve-syllable mantra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained mantra-japa and contemplation of Hari as the supreme Brahman, supported by austerity, is portrayed as a powerful path to divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice is situated within Ayodhyā Māhātmya, implying Ayodhyā as a favorable sacred setting for intense Vaiṣṇava tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dvādaśākṣara-mantra japa and severe tapas (vāyubhakṣa—subsisting on air) maintained for three years.