Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 181

Devanagari script

प्रियो मे नियमो देवि कर्म तल्लोकरञ्जनम् । मयों नमः शिवायेति मन्त्रोऽयमुररीकृतः

Transliteration

priyo me niyamo devi karma tallokarañjanam | mayoṃ namaḥ śivāyeti mantro'yamurarīkṛtaḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദേവീ! നിയമാനുഷ്ഠാനം എനിക്ക് പ്രിയമാണ്; ലോകത്തെ ആനന്ദിപ്പിക്കുന്ന കര്‍മ്മവും പ്രിയമാണ്. ‘നമോ നമഃ ശിവായ’—ഈ മന്ത്രം ഞാൻ പ്രമാണമായി അംഗീകരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• priyaḥ: dear
• priyaḥ: Visheshya-predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• me: to me; my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• niyamaḥ: observance; rule
• niyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• karma: action; rite
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• tat-loka-rañjanam: delighting that world
• tat-loka-rañjanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + rañjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tasya lokasya rañjanam)

• mayom: (textual form)
• mayom: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mayaṃ (अव्यय/निपात; पाठभेदः)
• Form: निपात (particle); पाठे 'mayoṃ'—अर्थः सम्भवतः 'mayā' (instrumental 'by me') इति; असंदिग्ध-रूपेण अव्ययवत् गृहीतम्

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable interjection)

• śivāya: to Śiva
• śivāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Dative, Singular)

• iti: thus
• iti: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• mantraḥ: mantra
• mantraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• urarīkṛtaḥ: accepted; approved
• urarīkṛtaḥ: Visheshya-predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: urari-√kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva declares niyama and world-pleasing action dear to him, and endorses the mantra ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’; the scene can show mantra syllables subtly inscribed in the air or on a palm-leaf, with devotees performing japa while serving others.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva favors disciplined living, beneficial action, and steady japa of ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa of ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’ is affirmed as an approved practice.