Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

वाग्भवमायालक्ष्मीमदनप्रणवान्वदेत्पूर्वम् । भांत्यं बिंदूपेतं मणिपदमथ कर्णिके सहृत्प्रणवपुटः

Transliteration

vāgbhavamāyālakṣmīmadanapraṇavānvadetpūrvam | bhāṃtyaṃ biṃdūpetaṃ maṇipadamatha karṇike sahṛtpraṇavapuṭaḥ

Translation

ആദ്യം പ്രണവത്തോടുകൂടി വാഗ്ഭവം, മായാ, ലക്ഷ്മീ, മദന—ഈ ബീജാക്ഷരങ്ങൾ ഉച്ചരിക്കണം. തുടർന്ന് ബിന്ദുയുക്ത ‘ഭാം’ പറഞ്ഞു, പിന്നെ ‘മണി’ പദം; അവസാനം ‘കർണികേ’—ഹൃത്-സഹിത പ്രണവപുടത്തിൽ ആവൃതമായി—ഉച്ചരിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• vāk-bhava-māyā-lakṣmī-madana-praṇavān: the (seed) syllables: vākbhava, māyā, lakṣmī, madana, praṇava
• vāk-bhava-māyā-lakṣmī-madana-praṇavān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāk (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + māyā (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक) + madana (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन (acc. pl.); मन्त्र-बीजसमूहः (a list of seed-syllables)

• vadet: should utter
• vadet: Kriyā (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad वद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pūrvam: first
• pūrvam: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: first/before)

• bhāṃtyam: (the syllable) bhāṃtya
• bhāṃtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāṃtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (acc. sg.); मन्त्रपद (mantric syllable)

• biṃdu-upetam: endowed with a bindu (nasal dot)
• biṃdu-upetam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: biṃdu (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (कृदन्त; √i ए (धातु) उप+क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘उपेत’ (acc. sg.)

• maṇi-padam: the 'maṇi' word/syllable
• maṇi-padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (acc. sg.); मन्त्रपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भबोधक (then/next)

• karṇike: in the karṇikā (central pericarp/center)
• karṇike: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• sa-hṛt-praṇava-puṭaḥ: the enclosure/puṭa with praṇava in the heart (along with it)
• sa-hṛt-praṇava-puṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛt (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.); ‘स-’=सहितार्थक; (a puṭa/encapsulation with praṇava in the heart)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher delineates mantra components: bīja-syllables (Vāgbhava, Māyā, Lakṣmī, Madana) with praṇava; then ‘bhāṃ’ with bindu; ‘maṇi’; ‘karṇike’; all enclosed by praṇava with ‘hṛt’. Visualize syllables as glowing akṣaras entering the heart-lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Bīja-mantras (Vāgbhava, Māyā, Lakṣmī, Madana)
• Maṇikarṇikā (implied via mantra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sound is treated as a precise spiritual technology; correct sequencing and framing of bīja-syllables is emphasized for effective worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī, since the mantra taught belongs to Maṇikarṇikā Devī, the presiding power of that tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A specific mantra-utterance sequence (japa-vidhi) using praṇava and multiple bīja-syllables, including ‘bhāṃ’ (with bindu) and the words ‘maṇi’ and ‘karṇike’.