Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ओंकारः प्रथमस्तत्र चतुर्दश स्वरास्तथा । स्पर्शाश्चैव त्रयस्त्रिं शदनुस्वारस्तथैव च

Transliteration

oṃkāraḥ prathamastatra caturdaśa svarāstathā | sparśāścaiva trayastriṃ śadanusvārastathaiva ca

Translation

അവിടെ ആദ്യം ഓംകാരമാണ്; പിന്നെ പതിനാലു സ്വരങ്ങൾ. ‘സ്പർശ’ വർഗ്ഗ വ്യഞ്ജനങ്ങൾ മുപ്പത്തിമൂന്ന്; കൂടാതെ അനുസ്വാരവും ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• oṃkāraḥ: the syllable Oṃ
• oṃkāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṃ-kāra (ओम् + कार) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ओम्-शब्दस्य कारः

• prathamaḥ: first
• prathamaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (oṃkāraḥ)

• tatra: there, in that set
• tatra: Sambandha (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (locative adverb): तत्र

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Karta (Numerical qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-daśa (चतुर् + दश) (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, अव्ययवत्/विशेषणरूपेण; द्विगु-समास; (svarāḥ) इत्यस्य संख्या-विशेषणम्

• svarāḥ: vowels
• svarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'thus/also'

• sparśāḥ: the sparśa consonants (stops)
• sparśāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle): एव

• trayastriṃśat: thirty-three
• trayastriṃśat: Karta (Numerical qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trayas-triṃśat (त्रयस् + त्रिंशत्) (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; द्विगु-समास; (sparśāḥ) इत्यस्य संख्या-विशेषणम्

• anusvāraḥ: anusvāra (nasal dot)
• anusvāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anusvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): likewise

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphasis): एव

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च

Speaker

Sutanū

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The brāhmaṇa questioner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Oṃ glyph appears above the speaker, followed by a cascading sequence of vowels and consonants arranged like a mandala grid; the listener watches as if seeing sound made visible.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• svarāḥ
• sparśāḥ
• anusvāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ is honored as primordial sound; ordered phonemes support mantra, scripture, and dharmic transmission.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports japa/mantra disciplines, but no explicit rite is stated.