Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 207

Devanagari script

अन्यः षडक्षरं मन्त्रं शुचिः श्रद्धासमन्वितः । जपेदहर्निशं मर्त्यः फलं ताभ्यां समं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

anyaḥ ṣaḍakṣaraṃ mantraṃ śuciḥ śraddhāsamanvitaḥ | japedaharniśaṃ martyaḥ phalaṃ tābhyāṃ samaṃ smṛtam

Translation

മറ്റൊരാൾ—ശുചിയും ശ്രദ്ധാസമന്വിതനുമായ മനുഷ്യൻ—ഷഡക്ഷരമന്ത്രം രാവും പകലും ജപിച്ചാൽ, അതിന്റെ ഫലം അവ രണ്ടിനും സമമാണെന്ന് സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक (pronoun-like)

• षडक्षरम्: six-syllabled
• षडक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• श्रद्धासमन्वितः: endowed with faith
• श्रद्धासमन्वितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā + samanvita (कृदन्त; सम्+अन्वि/इ √i?; here adjectival past participle 'samanvita')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (PPP sense: 'endowed with')

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? actually 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहर्निशम्: day and night; continuously
• अहर्निशम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial compound), कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ताभ्याम्: with/by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/नपुंसक? (contextual), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with फलम्)

• स्मृतम्: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) + ta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary devotee seated in cleanliness, counting a mālā, with a subtle aura suggesting that his japa equals vast austerities performed elsewhere; background hints of ascetics and sacred landscapes fading into the mantra’s radiance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady, faithful mantra-japa is exalted as spiritually equivalent to extraordinary long-term austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is specified; the verse emphasizes practice (japa) within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintain purity and faith, and repeat the ṣaḍakṣara mantra continuously (day and night).