Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

क्वचिद्रात्र्यंधकारस्त्रीराजकुलविषोपविषगरदवशीकरण विद्वेषणोच्चाटनवधबंधभयं वा न भवेदेतैर्मंत्रपदैरुदाहृतैर्हृदा बद्धैः संसिद्धपूजितैः

Transliteration

kvacidrātryaṃdhakārastrīrājakulaviṣopaviṣagaradavaśīkaraṇa vidveṣaṇoccāṭanavadhabaṃdhabhayaṃ vā na bhavedetairmaṃtrapadairudāhṛtairhṛdā baddhaiḥ saṃsiddhapūjitaiḥ

Translation

ด้วยมนตร์บทเหล่านี้ ภัยจากความมืดในຍามวิกาล ภัยจากยาพิษ ภัยจากการทำเสน่ห์เล่ห์กล ภัยจากความเกลียดชัง ภัยจากการถูกสังหาร หรือภัยจากการถูกจองจำ จะไม่บังเกิดแก่ผู้ปฏิบัติเลย

Word by Word

• kvacit: somewhere/at any time
• kvacit: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/काल-अव्ययम् (adverb: somewhere/at some time)

• rātri-andhakāra-strī-rāja-kula-viṣa-upaviṣa-gara-da-vaśīkaraṇa-vidveṣaṇa-uccāṭana-vadha-bandha-bhayam: fear of night/darkness, women, royal family, poison/counter-poison, toxic concoction, sorcery, subjugation, enmity-spells, expulsion, killing, imprisonment
• rātri-andhakāra-strī-rāja-kula-viṣa-upaviṣa-gara-da-vaśīkaraṇa-vidveṣaṇa-uccāṭana-vadha-bandha-bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri + andhakāra + strī + rāja + kula + viṣa + upaviṣa + gara + da + vaśīkaraṇa + vidveṣaṇa + uccāṭana + vadha + bandha + bhaya (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Neuter Nom/Acc Singular); समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective list-compound)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्ययम् (disjunctive/optional particle)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• bhavet: would occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम् (Optative, 3rd sg)

• etaiḥ: by these
• etaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (Instrumental Plural)

• mantra-padaiḥ: by mantra-words/formulas
• mantra-padaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra + pada (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (Instrumental Plural)

• udāhṛtaiḥ: uttered/recited
• udāhṛtaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√āhṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (Instrumental Plural)

• hṛdā: with the heart
• hṛdā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Instrumental Singular)

• baddhaiḥ: bound/held fast
• baddhaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bandh (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (Instrumental Plural)

• saṃsiddha-pūjitaiḥ: perfected and worshipped
• saṃsiddha-pūjitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsiddha + pūjita (प्रातिपदिके/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (Instrumental Plural); समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (accomplished and worshipped)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aparājitā (Vaiṣṇavī) Mahāvidyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A practitioner sits in meditation at night, mantra ‘bound in the heart’ as a glowing seal; around him dissolve images of poison, hostile courts, sorcery rites, and shackles breaking apart.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantras bear protective power when recited correctly, internalized with firm resolve, and supported by worship and siddhi—transforming fear into steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; the emphasis is on mantra-prabhāva (the efficacy of sacred formulas) within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa teaching context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of mantra-padas with proper utterance, internal fixation (hṛdā baddha), and completion through siddhi and pūjā (worship) is prescribed as the means of protection.