Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तावद्भ्रमंति संसारे दारुणे दुःखसंकुले । यावन्नोच्चारयंतीमं मंत्रं देहभृतः सकृत्

Transliteration

tāvadbhramaṃti saṃsāre dāruṇe duḥkhasaṃkule | yāvannoccārayaṃtīmaṃ maṃtraṃ dehabhṛtaḥ sakṛt

Translation

ଦୁଃଖରେ ପରିପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଏହି ଦାରୁଣ ସଂସାରରେ ଦେହଧାରୀମାନେ ତାଏଁ ଭ୍ରମଣ କରନ୍ତି, ଯାଏଁ ଏହି ମନ୍ତ୍ରକୁ ଏକଥର ମଧ୍ୟ ଉଚ୍ଚାରଣ କରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ।

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Temporal correlate (काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb: 'so long')

• भ्रमन्ति: they wander
• भ्रमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• संसारे: in the world/cycle of rebirth
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• दारुणे: terrible
• दारुणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण—संसारे

• दुःखसंकुले: filled with sorrow
• दुःखसंकुले: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण—संसारे; समासः—दुःखैः संकुलः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Temporal correlate (काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb: 'until/so long as')

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• उच्चारयन्ति: they utter/recite
• उच्चारयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्√चर् (धातु) [णिच् causative: उच्चारयति]
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण—मन्त्रम्

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• देहभृतः: embodied beings (body-bearers)
• देहभृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत् (कृदन्त; √भृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक—भ्रमन्ति/उच्चारयन्ति; समासः—देहं भृतः (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुष)

• सकृत्: even once
• सकृत्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: frequency)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator in Brahmottara-khaṇḍa (likely Sūta/compilational voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bleak wheel of saṃsāra with beings wandering amid thorns and smoke; a single radiant syllable-stream ‘oṃ namaḥ śivāya’ breaks through like a bridge or rope, offering escape; one being turns toward the light.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃsāra
• Mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of the liberating mantra prolongs wandering in suffering; even minimal contact with it is praised as transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse centers on mantra as the saving intervention in saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Uttering/reciting the mantra (even once) is highlighted as spiritually decisive.