Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

बीजान्युद्धृत्य वै ताभ्यो माला चैकवृता कृता । शंभुना कथिता चैव पार्वत्यग्रे नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

bījānyuddhṛtya vai tābhyo mālā caikavṛtā kṛtā | śaṃbhunā kathitā caiva pārvatyagre nṛpottama

Translation

ഹേ നൃപോത്തമാ, അവയിൽ നിന്നു ബീജാക്ഷരങ്ങൾ എടുത്ത് ഏകസൂത്രമായ മാലാരൂപ ജപവിധാനം നിർമ്മിക്കപ്പെട്ടു; ശംഭു അത് പാർവതിയുടെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ഉപദേശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• बीजानि: seeds (syllable-seeds)
• बीजानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• उद्धृत्य: having extracted
• उद्धृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्+हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• ताभ्यः: from them
• ताभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• माला: garland, rosary
• माला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एकवृता: single-circled, one-looped
• एकवृता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + वृता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृता: was made
• कृता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; PPP)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे (passive sense: 'was made')

• शंभुना: by Śambhu
• शंभुना: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथिता: was told
• कथिता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; PPP)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे (passive sense: 'was told')

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• पार्वत्यग्रे: before Pārvatī
• पार्वत्यग्रे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पार्वती + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; सप्तमी-अर्थे अव्यय (in the presence of)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa (implied)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu extracts glowing bīja-syllables from a field of mantras; the syllables string themselves into a single-thread garland/mālā; Pārvatī watches attentively as the teaching is delivered.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tradition links mantra practice to divine instruction, presenting japa structures (mālā/sequence) as revealed, not invented.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account supports the Śiva-tīrtha’s māhātmya in Dharmāraṇya by grounding its power in Śiva’s revealed mantra tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mantra-mālā (rosary-like sequence) derived from bīja syllables is described, implying japa usage though details are not specified here.