Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

शुद्धा पञ्चाक्षरी विद्या प्रासादी तदनन्तरम् । षडक्षरी तथा विद्या प्रासादस्य च दीपिका

Transliteration

śuddhā pañcākṣarī vidyā prāsādī tadanantaram | ṣaḍakṣarī tathā vidyā prāsādasya ca dīpikā

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ശുദ്ധ പഞ്ചാക്ഷരി വിദ്യ വന്നു; അത് പ്രാസാദംപോലെ അനുഗ്രഹം പ്രസാദിക്കുന്നു. അതുപോലെ ഷഡക്ഷരി വിദ്യ—ആ പ്രാസാദരൂപ സാക്ഷാത്കാരത്തിന് ദീപികയായി പ്രകാശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• śuddhā: pure
• śuddhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• pañcākṣarī: five-syllabled
• pañcākṣarī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• vidyā: the mantra/knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• prāsādī: pertaining to the temple (prāsāda)
• prāsādī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāsādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā); प्रासादिन् = प्रासादसम्बन्धिनी (having/pertaining to the temple)

• tad: that/then
• tad: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular (used adverbially with anantaram)

• anantaram: immediately after
• anantaram: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावप्रयोगे नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative)

• ṣaḍakṣarī: six-syllabled
• ṣaḍakṣarī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'thus/also')

• vidyā: the mantra/knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• prāsādasya: of the temple
• prāsādasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dīpikā: a lamp/illuminer
• dīpikā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous mantra-vision: a palace-like inner sanctum formed of syllables around a liṅga; a lamp (dīpa) symbolizes the six-syllabled vidyā illuminating the sanctum; sages seated in japa near Kedāra shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcākṣarī Vidyā
• Ṣaḍakṣarī Vidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva mantras purify and confer divine grace; they also illuminate the inner path, like a lamp revealing a sacred abode of realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mantric teaching is embedded in Kedārakhaṇḍa, supporting Kedāra’s identity as a mantra-siddhi and liṅga-centered pilgrimage zone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, japa/recitation of the five- and six-syllabled Śaiva mantras is recommended, though counts and procedure are not specified.