Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सुकारश्चाक्षरो नित्यं जपाकुसुम भास्वरः । मनो बीजं दुर्विषह्यं पुलहाश्रितमर्थिदम्

Transliteration

sukāraścākṣaro nityaṃ japākusuma bhāsvaraḥ | mano bījaṃ durviṣahyaṃ pulahāśritamarthidam

Translation

‘സു’ അക്ഷരം നിത്യമായ അവിനാശി നാദം, ജപാകുസുമംപോലെ ഭാസ്വരം. ഇത് മനസ്സിന്റെ ബീജം—ദുര്വിഷഹ്യം—പുലഹാശ്രിതം, അഭിലഷിതാർത്ഥം നൽകുന്നതും ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सुकारः: the syllable ‘su’
• सुकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अक्षरः: imperishable syllable
• अक्षरः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सुकारस्य समानाधिकरण

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative): ‘always’

• जपाकुसुमभास्वरः: shining like hibiscus flowers
• जपाकुसुमभास्वरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जपा + कुसुम + भास्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः ‘जपाकुसुमवत् भास्वरः’ (उपमान-आधारित)

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (पद-रूप: मनः)

• बीजम्: seed (mantra)
• बीजम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मनः-सम्बन्धे समानाधिकरण/विधेय

• दुर्विषह्यम्: hard to withstand
• दुर्विषह्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + विषह्य (कृदन्त); सह् (धातु) + यत् (gerundive)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive): ‘hard to endure’

• पुलहाश्रितम्: resorted to/associated with Pulaha
• पुलहाश्रितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्रित (कृदन्त, क्त); आ+श्रि (धातु); पुलह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘पुलहेन आश्रितम्/पुलहं आश्रितम्’ (सम्बन्ध)

• अर्थिदम्: granting to supplicants
• अर्थिदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक ‘giver’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘अर्थिनां दम्/ददाति’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The syllable ‘su’ glows hibiscus-red above a rosary; petals drift like offerings; a serene sage invokes Pulaha’s lineage while a pilgrim’s mind is depicted as a subtle lotus receiving the seed-sound.

Characters & Entities

• Pulaha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mind is a sacred field to be mastered through mantra; when the mind-seed is engaged, it can fulfill aims and refine inner life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself is focused on mantra-bīja and rishi-association; a specific tīrtha is not named in the provided line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It commends the “su” syllable as manobīja, implying japa/ritual use, associated with Pulaha and said to grant desired ends.