Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

जपन्नष्टाक्षरं मंत्रं ध्यायन्हृदि जनार्दनम् । तताप सुमहातेजा गालवो मुनिपुंगवः

Transliteration

japannaṣṭākṣaraṃ maṃtraṃ dhyāyanhṛdi janārdanam | tatāpa sumahātejā gālavo munipuṃgavaḥ

Translation

ท่านสวดภาวนามนตร์แปดพยางค์ และเพ่งสมาธิพระชนารทนะไว้ในดวงใจ; กาลวะผู้รุ่งเรือง—ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่นักบวช—ยังคงบำเพ็ญตบะต่อไป

Word by Word

• जपन्: chanting
• जपन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• अष्टाक्षरम्: eight-syllabled
• अष्टाक्षरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समासः (अष्ट अक्षराणि यस्य); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; मन्त्रम् इति विशेष्येण सह

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

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• हृदि: in (his) heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• जनार्दनम्: Janardana (Vishnu)
• जनार्दनम्: Karma (Object of meditation/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तताप: performed austerity, did penance
• तताप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुमहातेजाः: of very great splendor
• सुमहातेजाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (सु-महा-तेजाः = अतिमहान् तेजस्वी); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गालवः: Galava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मुनिपुंगवः: best of sages
• मुनिपुंगवः: Apposition (Subject appositive/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (मुनिषु पुंगवः/श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gālava seated in deep meditation, lips softly moving in japa; a subtle vision of Janārdana glowing within his heart-lotus; his body radiates tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Janārdana
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-japa joined with inner meditation (hṛd-dhyāna) is presented as the heart of effective tapas and bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra is the contextual sacred region; the verse highlights devotional practice within its Mahātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of the aṣṭākṣarī (eight-syllable) mantra and meditation on Janārdana are explicitly stated.