Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 136

Devanagari script

पंचमंत्रायुतजपफलं यस्येह दर्शनात् । ततः सपर्ययाक्ष्यर्च्य महत्यासौ प्रणम्य च

Transliteration

paṃcamaṃtrāyutajapaphalaṃ yasyeha darśanāt | tataḥ saparyayākṣyarcya mahatyāsau praṇamya ca

Translation

ज्याचे येथे केवळ दर्शन पञ्चमंत्राच्या दहा हजार जपाचे फळ देते—मग त्याने विधिपूर्वक उपचारांसह पूजा केली, भक्तिभावाने अर्चना करून महान भक्तीने प्रणाम केला.

Word by Word

• paṃca-mantra-āyuta-japa-phalam: the fruit of ten-thousand recitations of five mantras
• paṃca-mantra-āyuta-japa-phalam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuta (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (पञ्चमन्त्राणाम् आयुतजपस्य फलम्)

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (here/in this world)

• darśanāt: from (mere) seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereupon/from that)

• saparyā: worship/service
• saparyā: Karma (Object within gerund chain/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saparyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; (कर्मरूपेण—पूजा)

• ākṣya: having seen
• ākṣya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + kṣi (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); अव्ययभाव; उपसर्ग: आ; अर्थः—दृष्ट्वा/अवलोक्य (having seen)

• arcya: having worshipped
• arcya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) रूपेण प्रयोगः (for arcitvā); अव्ययभाव; अर्थः—पूजयित्वा

• mahatyā: with great (worship)
• mahatyā: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; विशेषण (of saparyā)

• asau: he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); अव्ययभाव; उपसर्ग: प्र

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

Speaker

Nārada (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (Mahākāleśvara)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Textual phala-śruti overlays a worship scene: the king offers upacāras, performs arcana, and prostrates deeply before Mahākāla, whose presence radiates mantra-power.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Darśana
• Pañca-mantra (pañcākṣarī implied)
• Japa
• Arcana
• Praṇāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred presence (darśana) at a powerful Śaiva sthala can bestow immense merit, especially when followed by humble worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s holy site, where darśana is declared extraordinarily merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana, followed by saparyā (service), arcana (worship), and praṇāma (prostration); the merit is compared to ayuta-japa of the five-mantra.