Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

विशुद्धहृदया भूत्वा मन्त्रराजमिमं जप स एव भगवांस्तुष्टो द्वादशाक्षरसंयुतम्

Transliteration

viśuddhahṛdayā bhūtvā mantrarājamimaṃ japa sa eva bhagavāṃstuṣṭo dvādaśākṣarasaṃyutam

Translation

ഹൃദയം വിശുദ്ധമാക്കി ഈ മന്ത്രരാജം ജപിക്ക; അതിൽ പ്രസന്നനായ ആ ഭഗവാൻ ദ്വാദശാക്ഷരയുക്ത മന്ത്രത്തിലൂടെ സിദ്ധി പ്രസാദിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• विशुद्धहृदया: with a purified heart
• विशुद्धहृदया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; (viśuddhaṃ hṛdayaṃ yasyāḥ) 'with a purified heart'

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): 'having become'

• मन्त्रराजम्: the king of mantras
• मन्त्रराजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मन्त्राणां राजा); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'मन्त्रराजम्' इति विशेषण

• जप: recite, repeat
• जप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (जप् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √tuṣ (तुष् धातु) + tuṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'भगवान्' इति विशेषण

• द्वादशाक्षरसंयुतम्: endowed with twelve syllables
• द्वादशाक्षरसंयुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वादशाक्षरैः संयुतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (प्रदास्यति इत्यादि वाक्ये 'ज्ञानम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणभावे प्रयुज्यते)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated in a tīrtha precinct, heart purified, counting japa on a mālā; a subtle aura indicates Bhagavān’s pleasure as the ‘king of mantras’ is recited.

Characters & Entities

• Mantrarāja
• Japa
• Bhagavān (Hari/Viṣṇu implied by context)
• Dvādaśākṣara (twelve-syllable mantra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-japa bears fruit when grounded in inner purity; heartfelt repetition pleases the Lord and leads to spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform japa of the ‘mantra-rāja’ with a purified heart, specifically a twelve-syllable (dvādaśākṣara) mantra (commonly associated with Viṣṇu).