Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

वषड्वौषट्स्वरूपासि त्वमेव प्रणवात्मिका । सर्वमंत्रमयी त्वं वै ब्रह्माद्यास्त्वत्समुद्भवाः

Transliteration

vaṣaḍvauṣaṭsvarūpāsi tvameva praṇavātmikā | sarvamaṃtramayī tvaṃ vai brahmādyāstvatsamudbhavāḥ

Translation

നീ വഷട്–വൗഷട് എന്ന യാഗോച്ചാരണങ്ങളുടെ സ്വരൂപിണി; നീയേ പ്രണവമായ ‘ഓം’ന്റെ ആത്മസ്വരൂപം. നീ സർവമന്ത്രമയി; ബ്രഹ്മാദി ദേവന്മാർ നിനക്കിൽ നിന്നുത്ഭവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• वषट्-वौषट्-स्वरूपा: (You) whose form is ‘vaṣaṭ’ and ‘vauṣaṭ’
• वषट्-वौषट्-स्वरूपा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वषट् (अव्यय/निपात) + वौषट् (अव्यय/निपात) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वषट्-वौषट्-स्वरूपा = वषट्-वौषट्-रूपा)

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुषार्थे; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/alone
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• प्रणव-आत्मिका: having the praṇava (Oṃ) as essence
• प्रणव-आत्मिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रणव (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन्/आत्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रणवः आत्मा यस्याः)

• सर्व-मन्त्र-मयी: consisting of all mantras
• सर्व-मन्त्र-मयी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः मन्त्रैः मयी = filled with all mantras)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वै: indeed/truly
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (assertive particle)

• ब्रह्म-आद्याः: Brahmā and the others
• ब्रह्म-आद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मा आदिः येषाम्)

• त्वत्-समुद्भवाः: arisen from you
• त्वत्-समुद्भवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वद्/युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (त्वत्तः समुद्भवाः = arisen from you)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hymn scene in Kāśī: sages and devas praise the Mother as the living Praṇava; syllables Oṃ, vaṣaṭ, vauṣaṭ appear as luminous forms emerging from her, while Brahmā and other gods arise like emanations.

Characters & Entities

• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Brahmā
• Mantras
• Vaṣaṭ
• Vauṣaṭ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra, ritual utterance, and even the creator-god’s power are rooted in the Goddess as the source of sacred sound.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa, Kāśī is the implied sacred field where mantra and liberation-oriented worship are especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse alludes to Vedic yajña through vaṣaṭ/vauṣaṭ and to praṇava-centered japa, though no step-by-step injunction is given.