Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 120
तस्मात्सर्वप्रदो मंत्रः सोऽयं पञ्चाक्षरः स्मृतः । स्त्रीभिः शूद्रैश्च संकीर्णैर्धार्यते मुक्तिकांक्षिभिः
tasmātsarvaprado maṃtraḥ so'yaṃ pañcākṣaraḥ smṛtaḥ | strībhiḥ śūdraiśca saṃkīrṇairdhāryate muktikāṃkṣibhiḥ
Oleh itu, mantra yang mengurniakan segala berkat ini dikenali sebagai mantra Pañcākṣara (lima suku kata). Ia hendaklah dipegang dan dijapa oleh wanita, oleh kaum Śūdra, dan juga golongan bercampur—oleh semua yang mendambakan mokṣa.
Not explicit in snippet (contextual narrator voice within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)
Scene: A diverse assembly—women, Śūdras, and mixed communities—sit in a simple shrine space before a Śiva-liṅga, counting rudrākṣa beads, the pañcākṣara syllables appearing as luminous letters around them.
FAQs
Liberation-oriented devotion is open to all; the five-syllabled Śiva-mantra is praised as universally beneficent.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the universal efficacy of the pañcākṣara mantra.
The prescription is to ‘hold/recite’ (dhāryate) the pañcākṣara mantra as a means toward mukti.