Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

मुनीनां यत्र परमं स्थानं चाप्यविनाशकृत् । स्वाहास्वधावषट्कारहन्तकारो न नश्यति

Transliteration

munīnāṃ yatra paramaṃ sthānaṃ cāpyavināśakṛt | svāhāsvadhāvaṣaṭkārahantakāro na naśyati

Translation

മുനികളുടെ പരമധാമമായ, വിനാശം അകറ്റുന്ന പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്ത്; ‘സ്വാഹാ’, ‘സ്വധാ’, ‘വഷട്’ എന്നീ പവിത്രോച്ചാരണങ്ങളും വിഘ്നഹന്താവും ഒരിക്കലും നശിക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• munīnām: of sages
• munīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• sthānam: place, abode
• sthānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle relation/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even)

• avināśa-kṛt: causing imperishability; maker of non-destruction
• avināśa-kṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avināśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय: कृत्); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agentive: ‘one who makes’)

• svāhā-svadhā-vaṣaṭ-kāra-hantakāraḥ: the utterance ‘svāhā, svadhā, vaṣaṭ, hantakāra’ (ritual exclamations)
• svāhā-svadhā-vaṣaṭ-kāra-hantakāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svāhā (प्रातिपदिक) + svadhā (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṣaṭkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + hantakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/समुच्चयार्थः)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक (negation particle)

• naśyati: perishes
• naśyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd); एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene hermitage-landscape where luminous mantra-syllables ‘svāhā, svadhā, vaṣaṭ’ appear as radiant script in the air; sages seated in meditation; Gaṇeśa as the unseen/implicit guardian of auspicious beginnings; an atmosphere of imperishability and protection.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)
• Svāhā
• Svadhā
• Vaṣaṭ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred region preserves dharma across time: mantra, yajña, and the sage-tradition remain unbroken and imperishable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises a ‘paramaṃ sthānam’ of sages within the narrative; the exact tīrtha name is not given in the snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It highlights Vedic sacrificial formulae (svāhā, svadhā, vaṣaṭ) as enduring there, implying sustained yajña and śrāddha culture.