Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
जपैर्ध्यानैः शमपरैर्मोक्षं यास्येत निश्चितम । शूद्राणां चापि नारीणां प्रणवेन विवर्जितः
japairdhyānaiḥ śamaparairmokṣaṃ yāsyeta niścitama | śūdrāṇāṃ cāpi nārīṇāṃ praṇavena vivarjitaḥ
जप, ध्यान आणि शमप्रधान साधनांनी निश्चयाने मोक्ष प्राप्त होतो; शूद्र व स्त्रियांकरिता हे (उपदेश) प्रणव (ॐ) वर्ज्य असे सांगितले आहे।
Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A quiet hermitage-like tīrtha bank: practitioners seated in meditation; a teacher gestures toward the heart (śama), while a subtle boundary is shown around the Oṃ symbol, indicating restricted use and alternate devotion.
FAQs
Liberation is linked to sustained japa, dhyāna, and inner calm; the verse also reflects traditional rules about praṇava usage for different practitioners.
No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on practice-eligibility and methods within the larger māhātmya discourse.
Practice japa and meditation with śama (tranquility); for certain practitioners, mantra recitation is indicated without the praṇava prefix.