Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

अष्टाक्षरैश्चतुर्बाहुं ध्यायंति मुनिसत्तमाः । बहुनाऽत्र किमुक्तेन गजाहं प्रवदामि ते

Transliteration

aṣṭākṣaraiścaturbāhuṃ dhyāyaṃti munisattamāḥ | bahunā'tra kimuktena gajāhaṃ pravadāmi te

Translation

అష్టాక్షరీ మంత్రంతో మునిశ్రేష్ఠులు చతుర్భుజ ప్రభువును ధ్యానిస్తారు. ఇక్కడ మరెంత చెప్పాలి? ఓ గజా, నీకు నేను స్పష్టంగా ప్రకటిస్తాను.

Word by Word

• अष्टाक्षरैः: with eight-syllabled (mantras)
• अष्टाक्षरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘with eight-syllabled (mantras)’

• चतुर्बाहुम्: the four-armed (deity)
• चतुर्बाहुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — कर्मपद; ‘the four-armed (one)’

• ध्यायन्ति: meditate (upon)
• ध्यायन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘meditate’

• मुनिसत्तमाः: the best sages
• मुनिसत्तमाः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन — कर्तृपद; ‘best of sages’

• बहुना: with much (speech)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by much (talk)’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place) — ‘here’

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — प्रश्नार्थक; ‘what?’

• उक्तेन: by (what is) said
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used as noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by what is said’

• गजा: indeed; surely
• गजा: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गजा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय/निपात (emphatic particle; textual variant), अर्थः ‘indeed/clearly’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन — कर्तृपद

• प्रवदामि: I declare
• प्रवदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन — ‘I declare/say’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन — ‘to you’

Speaker

Bhadra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gaja (Elephant)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-ashram or riverbank assembly: venerable sages seated in meditation, mentally chanting the aṣṭākṣarī while visualizing a radiant four-armed Viṣṇu; the speaker turns to address an elephant respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Caturbāhu (Viṣṇu)
• Aṣṭākṣarī (mantra)
• Gaja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes focused and effective through mantra-based meditation on the Lord; concise truth is valued over excessive speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, preparing the listener for the tīrtha’s praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation/japa connected with the aṣṭākṣarī mantra and contemplation of the four-armed Lord.