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

次に、彼の頭頂に一枚の葉を置き、その置いた葉をしっかりと定めよ。その葉の上にこの真言を書すべし—先に自生者スヴァヤンブー（梵天）が説いた真言である。

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).