Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अष्टाक्षरं जपन्मंत्रं संनिगृह्येंद्रियाणि च । वासुदेवमयो भूत्वा सर्वभूतकृपापरः

Transliteration

aṣṭākṣaraṃ japanmaṃtraṃ saṃnigṛhyeṃdriyāṇi ca | vāsudevamayo bhūtvā sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ

Translation

அஷ்டாக்ஷர மந்திரத்தை ஜபித்து, இந்திரியங்களை அடக்கி, நான் வாசுதேவமயனாய் ஆகி, எல்லா உயிர்களிடமும் கருணையில் நிலைத்தேன்।

Word by Word

• aṣṭākṣaram: eight-syllabled
• aṣṭākṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (object-qualifier)

• japan: reciting
• japan: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jap (धातु) + śatṛ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; मंत्रम् इति विशेषणम्

• mantram: mantra
• mantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• saṃnigṛhya: having restrained
• saṃnigṛhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam + ni + grah (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• indriyāṇi: the senses
• indriyāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• vāsudevamayaḥ: consisting of Vāsudeva / filled with Vāsudeva
• vāsudevamayaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāsudeva + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicative)

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhū (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ: devoted to compassion for all beings
• sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + bhūta + kṛpā + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of implied subject)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary sādhaka seated in meditation, lips softly moving in japa, senses withdrawn; a subtle aura of Vāsudeva pervades the body, and compassion radiates outward to all beings around—animals, humans, birds—calmly gathered.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Aṣṭākṣarī-mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-japa joined with self-restraint transforms the practitioner into God-centered compassion, making devotion inseparable from kindness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the tīrtha-based practice narrative of the chapter, but does not name the location explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aṣṭākṣarī-mantra japa and indriya-nigraha (sense-restraint) are explicitly prescribed.