Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

चतुरक्षरं परं चैव चतुरक्षरमेव च । द्व्यक्षरं च तथा पंचाक्षरं द्वयक्षरमेव च । एतद्यज्ञस्वरूपं च यो जपेज्ज्ञानपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

caturakṣaraṃ paraṃ caiva caturakṣarameva ca | dvyakṣaraṃ ca tathā paṃcākṣaraṃ dvayakṣarameva ca | etadyajñasvarūpaṃ ca yo japejjñānapūrvakam

Translation

పరమ చతురక్షరీ మంత్రం, చతురక్షరీ స్వరూపం, ద్వ్యక్షరీ అలాగే పంచాక్షరీ, మళ్లీ ద్వ్యక్షరీ—ఇదే యజ్ఞస్వరూపమని జ్ఞానపూర్వకంగా జపించువాడు…

Word by Word

• caturakṣaram: four-syllabled
• caturakṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

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

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

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

• caturakṣaram: four-syllabled
• caturakṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

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

• dvyakṣaram: two-syllabled
• dvyakṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

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

• tathā: likewise/so
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: thus/likewise)

• paṃcākṣaram: five-syllabled
• paṃcākṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• dvayakṣaram: two-syllabled (of a pair)
• dvayakṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvaya + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्धारणार्थ (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; ‘of a pair’ → two-syllabled)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

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

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; pronominal adjective)

• yajñasvarūpam: the form/nature of sacrifice
• yajñasvarūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; ‘form of sacrifice’)

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

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (masculine, nominative singular; relative pronoun)

• japet: should recite/mutter
• japet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• jñānapūrvakam: with prior knowledge/knowingly
• jñānapūrvakam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jñāna + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial compound; ‘with knowledge beforehand’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene forest-āśrama where a sage performs japa as an inner yajña; subtle fire-altar imagery appears as a luminous aura around the chanting figure, with syllables visualized as offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña (sacrifice)
• Mantra-japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Conscious mantra-japa is itself a sacrifice—when done with understanding, it becomes a complete yajña in inner form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues the Dharmāraṇya setting, emphasizing its atmosphere of mantra, yajña, and disciplined practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To perform japa of specified syllabic mantras (two-, four-, five-syllabled) with knowledge, regarding it as yajña.