Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

यस्मात्त्वं मंत्रमेकाग्रो ध्यायन्वल्मीकमाश्रितः । तस्माद्वाल्मीकिनामा त्वं भविष्यसि महीतले

Transliteration

yasmāttvaṃ maṃtramekāgro dhyāyanvalmīkamāśritaḥ | tasmādvālmīkināmā tvaṃ bhaviṣyasi mahītale

Translation

നീ വൽമീകം (ചീമപ്പുറ്റ്) ആശ്രയിച്ച് ഏകാഗ്രചിത്തത്തോടെ മന്ത്രം ധ്യാനിച്ചതിനാൽ, ഭൂമിയിൽ നീ ‘വാൽമീകി’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധനാകും.

Word by Word

• यस्मात्: because (of which), since
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (relative pronoun; ‘because/from which’)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• एकाग्रः: one-pointed, concentrated
• एकाग्रः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (एकं अग्रं यस्य/एकाग्रः = one-pointed)

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Kriya (Concurrent action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) → ध्यायत् (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ)

• वल्मीकम्: an anthill
• वल्मीकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्मीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आश्रितः: having taken refuge in, resorted to
• आश्रितः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used predicatively

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (correlative; ‘therefore/from that’)

• वाल्मीकि-नाम: named Vālmīki
• वाल्मीकि-नाम: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाल्मीकि (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (वाल्मीकि-नाम = ‘having the name Vālmīki’)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भविष्यसि: you will become
• भविष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महीतले: on the surface of the earth
• महीतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महेः तलम्)

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The addressed sādhaka (future Vālmīki)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditating ascetic sits utterly still, partially covered by an anthill, while sages proclaim that his steadfast mantra-japa will make him famed as Vālmīki.

Characters & Entities

• Vālmīki
• Mantra
• Valmīka (anthill)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed mantra-meditation and steadfast tapas transform one’s destiny and spiritual identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya context; the immediate focus is Vālmīki’s tapas rather than naming a separate tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on ekāgratā (one-pointedness) in mantra-dhyāna/japa.