Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

चत्वारिंशद्दिनं तत्र मंत्रमेकाक्षरं नृपः । तत्र तीर्थे जजापासौ मुन्युक्तेनैव वर्त्मना

Transliteration

catvāriṃśaddinaṃ tatra maṃtramekākṣaraṃ nṛpaḥ | tatra tīrthe jajāpāsau munyuktenaiva vartmanā

Translation

ณ ที่นั้นตลอดสี่สิบวัน พระนฤปะทรงสวดภาวนา (ชปะ) มนต์เอกाक्षร (หนึ่งพยางค์) และ ณ ตีรถะนั้นเอง พระองค์ทรงกระทำชปะตามแนวทางที่ฤๅษีสอนไว้อย่างเคร่งครัด

Word by Word

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-शब्दः; ‘दिनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable numeral)

• दिनम्: days (for a period of)
• दिनम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कालपरिमाणम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम्

• मन्त्रम्: a mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एकाक्षरम्: single-syllabled
• एकाक्षरम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः; ‘मन्त्रम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम्

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• जजाप: recited
• जजाप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• मुन्युक्तेन: by the path prescribed by the sage
• मुन्युक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्; ‘मुनिना उक्त’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः; ‘वर्त्मना’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (indeed/only)

• वर्त्मना: by the path/method
• वर्त्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṅgalā-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king seated in meditation at the tīrtha-bank for 40 days: rosary in hand, steady posture, a small fire/diya nearby, the sage’s presence implied as guiding; the water reflects a single luminous syllable (ekākṣara) as a symbolic glyph.

Characters & Entities

• King
• One-syllable mantra (ekākṣara-mantra)
• Muni (sage)
• Tīrtha (Maṅgalā implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra bears fruit when practiced with duration, discipline, and guidance from a competent teacher.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-region tīrtha of this adhyāya (Maṅgalā tīrtha in context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Forty-day japa of an ekākṣara (one-syllable) mantra according to the muni’s instructed procedure.