Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

उमेतिद्व्यक्षरं मंत्रं योऽहर्निशमनुस्मरेत् । न स्मरेच्चित्रगुप्तस्तं कृतपापमपि द्विज

Transliteration

umetidvyakṣaraṃ maṃtraṃ yo'harniśamanusmaret | na smareccitraguptastaṃ kṛtapāpamapi dvija

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജാ! പകലും രാത്രിയും ‘ഉ-മാ’ എന്ന ദ്വ്യക്ഷര മന്ത്രം അനുസ്മരിക്കുന്നവനെ, പാപം ചെയ്തവനായാലും ചിത്രഗുപ്തൻ രേഖപ്പെടുത്തുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• उमा: Umā
• उमा: Karma (Quoted content/उद्धृत-वस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (मन्त्रपद-रूपेण)

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• द्व्यक्षरम्: two-syllabled
• द्व्यक्षरम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः द्विगु (द्वे अक्षरे यस्य)

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहर्निशम्: day and night; continually
• अहर्निशम्: Temporal adjunct (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहन् + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• अनुस्मरेत्: should remember; should repeat mentally
• अनुस्मरेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) उपसर्गः अनु-
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• स्मरेत्: would remember; should remember
• स्मरेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• चित्रगुप्तः: Citragupta
• चित्रगुप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रगुप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (चित्रः गुप्तः)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृतपापम्: one who has committed sin
• कृतपापम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु + क्त) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः (कृतं पापं येन)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa (explicitly addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic courtroom of Yama: Citragupta with palm-leaf ledger pauses, unable to ‘note’ the devotee whose body is encircled by radiant syllables ‘उ’ ‘मा’. The devotee stands calm, rosary in hand, while a subtle Umā presence blesses from above.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Citragupta
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere, continuous remembrance of the Divine Name is portrayed as a powerful purifier that overrides sin-consciousness and karmic accounting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī glorification, though the verse itself focuses on mantra efficacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aharniśa anusmaraṇa/japa of the two-syllabled mantra ‘Umā’.