Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कोटीनां त्रितयं येन त्र्यंबको मंत्रनायकः । जप्तो दिव्येन विधिना त्रिकालं पूज्य शंकरम्

Transliteration

koṭīnāṃ tritayaṃ yena tryaṃbako maṃtranāyakaḥ | japto divyena vidhinā trikālaṃ pūjya śaṃkaram

Translation

അവൻ മന്ത്രങ്ങളിൽ നായകനായ ‘ത്ര്യമ്പക’ മന്ത്രം ദിവ്യവിധിപ്രകാരം മൂന്ന് കോടി പ്രാവശ്യം ജപിച്ചു; കൂടാതെ ത്രികാലങ്ങളിലും ശങ്കരനെ പൂജിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• कोटीनाम्: of crores
• कोटीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• त्रितयम्: a triad, threefold set
• त्रितयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करणवाचक (by whom/whereby)

• त्र्यंबकः: Tryambaka (Śiva)
• त्र्यंबकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यंबक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• मंत्र: mantra
• मंत्र: Upapada (compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, समासपूर्वपदत्वेन अव्यक्तविभक्तिकम् (stem-form)

• नायकः: leader, chief
• नायकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: मन्त्राणां नायकः

• जप्तः: was recited
• जप्तः: Kriyā (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप् (धातु) + त (क्त) → जप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle)

• दिव्येन: divine
• दिव्येन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विधिना-विशेषणम्

• विधिना: by method, by rite
• विधिना: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• त्रिकालम्: at the three times (daily)
• त्रिकालम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative sense): त्रिषु कालेषु

• पूज्य: having worshipped
• पूज्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → पूज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त्वा-समकक्षं तुमुनर्थे/ल्यप्-प्रयोगः (absolutive/gerund sense: having worshipped)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tryambakeśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ṛṣi Guru performing tri-kāla worship before Śaṅkara: sunrise, midday, and dusk shown in a triptych; rosary in hand, fire-offering or lamp, and the Tryambakeśvara liṅga present; the enormity of ‘three crores’ suggested by heaps of counted beads or celestial tally marks.

Characters & Entities

• Tryambaka mantra
• Śaṅkara
• Guru (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady discipline—vast japa with regular tri-kāla worship—draws divine grace and establishes spiritual authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tryambakeśvara’s sacred zone in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Tryambaka mantra-sādhana is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform japa of the Tryambaka mantra (three crores as the exemplar) with proper vidhi, and worship Śaṅkara three times daily (tri-kāla).