Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 188

Devanagari script

शैवं षडक्षरं मंत्रं योजपेच्छ्रद्धयान्वितः । अपि ब्रह्मवधा त्पापं जातं तस्य प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

śaivaṃ ṣaḍakṣaraṃ maṃtraṃ yojapecchraddhayānvitaḥ | api brahmavadhā tpāpaṃ jātaṃ tasya praṇaśyati

Translation

ผู้ใดประกอบด้วยศรัทธา สวดภาวนามนตร์ไศวะหกพยางค์ แม้บาปอันเกิดจากการฆ่าพราหมณ์ก็ย่อมพินาศแก่ผู้นั้น

Word by Word

• शैवम्: Śaiva; pertaining to Śiva
• शैवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; qualifies ‘मन्त्रम्’

• षडक्षरम्: six-syllabled
• षडक्षरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षड् + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Dvigu compound ‘six-syllabled’; qualifies ‘मन्त्रम्’

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

• यो: who
• यो: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun, nominative singular

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (आज्ञार्थ/संभावना), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, 3rd sg

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• अन्वितः: endowed; accompanied
• अन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √इ/अनु+इ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally; agrees with implied ‘यः’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) ‘even’

• ब्रह्मवधात्: from (the sin of) Brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्मवधात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from Brahmin-slaying’

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• जातम्: arisen; incurred
• जातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृत् (past participle) qualifying ‘पापम्’

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• प्रणश्यति: perishes; is destroyed
• प्रणश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present indicative, 3rd sg; प्र-उपसर्ग

Speaker

Suvrata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated near sacred waters, eyes half-closed, counting rudrākṣa beads; a subtle aura around the mantra syllables; shadowy forms of past sins dissolving into light associated with Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• ṣaḍakṣara-mantra (Śaiva)
• brahma-vadhā (brahmin-slaying)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful mantra-japa of Śiva is portrayed as a powerful purifier, capable of burning even the heaviest karmic stains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha context frames the instruction, but the verse chiefly glorifies Śiva-mantra potency rather than a named geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform japa of the Śaiva ṣaḍakṣara-mantra with śraddhā (faith) as a prāyaścitta and purifier.