Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

अथ ते ददृशुस्तत्र विशाखं मुनिसत्तमाः । जपंतमसकृन्मत्रं तमेव चतुरक्षरम्

Transliteration

atha te dadṛśustatra viśākhaṃ munisattamāḥ | japaṃtamasakṛnmatraṃ tameva caturakṣaram

Translation

แล้วเหล่ามุนีผู้ประเสริฐก็ได้เห็นวิศาขะอยู่ที่นั่น กำลังสวดภาวนามนตร์เดิมนั้นไม่ขาดสาย คือมนตร์สี่พยางค์

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (indeclinable), अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (masc.)/सामान्य-प्रयोगः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• ददृशुः: they saw
• ददृशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (plural)

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

• विशाखम्: Viśākha (name)
• विशाखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• मुनिसत्तमाः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां सत्तमाः = among sages, the best)

• जपन्तम्: chanting
• जपन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ-प्रत्ययः, present active participle), पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि विशेषणम् (विशाखम्)

• असकृत्: repeatedly
• असकृत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्, आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्ययम् (repeatedly)

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

• तम्: that (mantra)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्, अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• चतुरक्षरम्: four-syllabled
• चतुरक्षरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (चत्वारि अक्षराणि यस्य तत्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (vāl्मīka-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Within the hollow of the anthill sits Viśākha, austere and absorbed, lips moving in ceaseless repetition of a four-syllabled mantra; sages look on in stunned reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Viśākha
• Caturakṣara-mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady mantra-japa, especially in a holy kṣetra, becomes a direct means to inner purification and spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, presented as a field where japa bears swift fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa (repetition) of a caturakṣara (four-syllabled) mantra.