Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

इत्युच्चार्य्य द्विजश्रेष्ठा मृदमालभ्य पाणिना । विष्णुं संस्मृत्य मनसा मंत्रमेतमुदीरयेत्

Transliteration

ityuccāryya dvijaśreṣṭhā mṛdamālabhya pāṇinā | viṣṇuṃ saṃsmṛtya manasā maṃtrametamudīrayet

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ഉച്ചരിച്ച്, ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! കൈകൊണ്ട് മണ്ണിനെ സ്പർശിച്ച്; മനസ്സിൽ വിഷ്ണുവിനെ സ്മരിച്ച് ഈ മന്ത്രം ജപിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• उच्चार्य: having uttered
• उच्चार्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + चर् (धातु) → उच्चार्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having uttered)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मृदम्: earth/clay
• मृदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आलभ्य: having touched/handled
• आलभ्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having touched/taken)

• पाणिना: with the hand
• पाणिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संस्मृत्य: having remembered
• संस्मृत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having remembered)

• मनसा: with the mind
• मनसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एतम्: this
• एतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (मन्त्रम्)

• उदीरयेत्: should recite/utter
• उदीरयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + ईर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā tīrtha-mṛttikā (Gomatī-taṭa)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭha (addressed as the ritual agent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned pilgrim (dvija) at the riverbank bends to touch sacred clay, eyes half-closed in Viṣṇu remembrance, preparing to chant the mantra before bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer rites (taking sacred earth) are to be joined with inner devotion (smaraṇa of Viṣṇu) for true purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Gomatī tīrtha rite within Dvārakā-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Touching/collecting sacred clay and reciting a prescribed mantra while remembering Viṣṇu.