Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

श्रीमहादेव उवाच । द्विजातीनां सहोंकारसहितो द्वादशाक्षरः । स्त्रीशूद्राणां नमस्कारपूर्वकः समुदाहृतः

Transliteration

śrīmahādeva uvāca | dvijātīnāṃ sahoṃkārasahito dvādaśākṣaraḥ | strīśūdrāṇāṃ namaskārapūrvakaḥ samudāhṛtaḥ

Translation

ശ്രീമഹാദേവൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ദ്വിജന്മാർക്കു ഓംകാരസഹിതമായ ദ്വാദശാക്ഷരമന്ത്രം ഉപദേശിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; സ്ത്രീകൾക്കും ശൂദ്രർക്കും അത് ‘നമഃ’ നമസ്കാരപൂർവം പ്രസ്താവിതമാണ്।

Word by Word

• śrīmahādevaḥ: Śrī Mahādeva
• śrīmahādevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• dvijātīnām: for the twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• dvijātīnām: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvi-jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'of/for the twice-born')

• saha-oṃkāra-sahitaḥ: accompanied with the syllable Oṃ
• saha-oṃkāra-sahitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saha (अव्यय) + oṃkāra + sahita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'sahita' = 'accompanied'; विशेषणम् (qualifies 'dvādaśākṣaraḥ')

• dvādaśākṣaraḥ: the twelve-syllable (mantra)
• dvādaśākṣaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa-akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• strīśūdrāṇām: for women and Śūdras
• strīśūdrāṇām: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī-śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'for women and Śūdras')

• namaskāra-pūrvakaḥ: preceded by salutation (namaḥ)
• namaskāra-pūrvakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: namaskāra + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies implied 'dvādaśākṣaraḥ')

• samudāhṛtaḥ: is declared; is prescribed
• samudāhṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) 'samudāhṛta'; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (stative passive sense: 'is declared')

Speaker

Śiva (Mahādeva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahādeva instructs on mantra order: a calm didactic scene with Śiva as teacher, sacred syllables (Oṃ / namo) visually suggested as akṣaras in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)
• Oṃ (Praṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra practice is presented as regulated by traditional rules of utterance and eligibility, emphasizing proper entry-form (Oṃ or namo).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is mantra-vidhi within the broader māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The twelve-syllable mantra is to be recited with Oṃ for dvijas, and with “namo” as the prefatory salutation for women and Śūdras.