Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 157

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा सोऽभवन्मौनी स्नात्वा कुंडे ततः शुचिः । तीरे प्रस्तरमाश्रित्य स्वयं मंत्राञ्जाप ह

Transliteration

ityuktvā so'bhavanmaunī snātvā kuṃḍe tataḥ śuciḥ | tīre prastaramāśritya svayaṃ maṃtrāñjāpa ha

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞിട്ട് അദ്ദേഹം മൗനിയായിത്തീർന്നു; പിന്നെ കുണ്ഡത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ശുദ്ധനായി, തീരത്തെ ഒരു പാറയെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് സ്വയം മന്ത്രജപം ആരംഭിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having said’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मौनी: silent
• मौनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मौनिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘silent’—सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having bathed’

• कुण्डे: in the pond
• कुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Desha-Kala (Time/Place adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अपादानार्थक (thereafter/from there)

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘pure’—सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तीरे: on the bank
• तीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• प्रस्तरम्: a stone slab
• प्रस्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• आश्रित्य: having taken refuge on
• आश्रित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having resorted to/sitting on’

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आत्मकर्तृवाचक (by oneself)

• मन्त्रान्: mantras
• मन्त्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• जाप: recited
• जाप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; छान्दस/पुराण-प्रयोगः; ‘he recited’

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पदपूरण/निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bahūdaka-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee/sage finishes speaking, then sits in silence; he bathes in the kuṇḍa, emerges dripping and radiant, and sits on a flat stone at the bank with a mālā, beginning mantra-japa; the water is calm and reflective.

Characters & Entities

• Bahūdaka-kuṇḍa
• Mantra
• Mauna (silence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred practice is shown as a lived discipline—silence, purification by bathing, and focused mantra-japa at the tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bahūdaka-kuṇḍa and its bank (tīra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mauna (silence), snāna (bathing) in the kuṇḍa, and mantra-japa while seated on the bank.