Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

निर्वाणमंडपे यस्तु जपेदेकं षडक्षरम् । कोटिरुद्रेण जप्तेन यत्फलं तस्य तद्भवेत्

Transliteration

nirvāṇamaṃḍape yastu japedekaṃ ṣaḍakṣaram | koṭirudreṇa japtena yatphalaṃ tasya tadbhavet

Translation

നിർവാണമണ്ഡപത്തിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും ഷഡക്ഷരമന്ത്രം ഒരിക്കൽ പോലും ജപിച്ചാൽ, കോടിരുദ്രജപത്തിൽ ലഭിക്കുന്നതുപോലെയുള്ള ഫലം അവനു ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• निर्वाणमण्डपे: in the Nirvāṇa pavilion
• निर्वाणमण्डपे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण-मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक; निर्वाण + मण्डप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक अधिकरण (locative of place)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/विशेषार्थक

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• षडक्षरम्: the six-syllabled (mantra)
• षडक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट्-अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक; षट् + अक्षर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; मन्त्रवाचक

• कोटिरुद्रेण: by (a rite of) Koṭirudra
• कोटिरुद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि-रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक; कोटि + रुद्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; प्रमाण/साधनवाचक

• जप्तेन: by (what is) recited
• जप्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; ‘जप’कर्मणि

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• भवेत्: would be/should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Traditional interlocutor in Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (often sages/Śaunaka-type assembly in Purāṇic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene mandapa within Kāśī: a devotee seated in padmāsana, softly chanting a six-syllabled mantra; behind, a subtle presence of Śiva as Viśveśvara, with Gaṅgā’s glow and lamps flickering.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī magnifies spiritual effort: even minimal sincere japa at the Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa yields immense merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa within sacred Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting the six-syllabled mantra (ṣaḍakṣara) at the Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa, equated with Koṭirudra-japa.