Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । द्वादशाक्षरमाहात्म्यं मम विस्तरतो वद । यथावर्णं यत्फलं च यथा च क्रियते मया

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | dvādaśākṣaramāhātmyaṃ mama vistarato vada | yathāvarṇaṃ yatphalaṃ ca yathā ca kriyate mayā

Translation

പാർവതി പറഞ്ഞു—പ്രഭോ! ദ്വാദശാക്ഷര മന്ത്രത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം എനിക്ക് വിശദമായി പറയുക—അക്ഷരക്രമപ്രകാരം അതിന്റെ രൂപം, അതിന്റെ ഫലം, കൂടാതെ ഞാൻ അത് എങ്ങനെ അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• pārvatī: Pārvatī
• pārvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• dvādaśākṣara-māhātmyaṃ: the greatness of the twelve-syllable (mantra)
• dvādaśākṣara-māhātmyaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa-akṣara-māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of 'vada')

• mama: to me; for me
• mama: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'to me/of me')

• vistarataḥ: in detail
• vistarataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb): 'in detail'

• vada: tell; speak
• vada: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• yathā-varṇaṃ: according to (each) syllable/letter
• yathā-varṇaṃ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययार्थे (adverbial: 'according to the letters/phonetic order')

• yat-phalaṃ: what result
• yat-phalaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थ-सम्बन्ध (relative: 'what fruit/result')

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

• yathā: how
• yathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'how/in what way')

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

• kriyate: is done; is performed
• kriyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ (agent in passive)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied teacher (likely Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī respectfully addresses the teacher (implied Śiva or a sage), seated in a forest-āśrama or temple precinct; she gestures toward a written garland of twelve syllables, requesting detailed instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True mantra practice requires correct form (varṇa), correct method, and understanding of its intended spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves as the opening inquiry within the Tīrthamāhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse requests instruction on mantra-japa procedure (how it is to be practiced).