Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तावद्भ्रमंति संसारे दारुणे दुःखसंकुले । यावन्नोच्चारयंतीमं मंत्रं देहभृतः सकृत्

Transliteration

tāvadbhramaṃti saṃsāre dāruṇe duḥkhasaṃkule | yāvannoccārayaṃtīmaṃ maṃtraṃ dehabhṛtaḥ sakṛt

Translation

Hangga’t hindi man lamang nila minsang binibigkas ang mantrang ito, ang mga may katawan ay patuloy na naliligaw sa mabagsik na saṃsāra na punô ng pagdurusa.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Temporal correlate (काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb: 'so long')

• भ्रमन्ति: they wander
• भ्रमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• संसारे: in the world/cycle of rebirth
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• दारुणे: terrible
• दारुणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण—संसारे

• दुःखसंकुले: filled with sorrow
• दुःखसंकुले: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण—संसारे; समासः—दुःखैः संकुलः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Temporal correlate (काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb: 'until/so long as')

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• उच्चारयन्ति: they utter/recite
• उच्चारयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्√चर् (धातु) [णिच् causative: उच्चारयति]
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण—मन्त्रम्

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

• देहभृतः: embodied beings (body-bearers)
• देहभृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत् (कृदन्त; √भृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक—भ्रमन्ति/उच्चारयन्ति; समासः—देहं भृतः (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुष)

• सकृत्: even once
• सकृत्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: frequency)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator in Brahmottara-khaṇḍa (likely Sūta/compilational voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bleak wheel of saṃsāra with beings wandering amid thorns and smoke; a single radiant syllable-stream ‘oṃ namaḥ śivāya’ breaks through like a bridge or rope, offering escape; one being turns toward the light.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃsāra
• Mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of the liberating mantra prolongs wandering in suffering; even minimal contact with it is praised as transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse centers on mantra as the saving intervention in saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Uttering/reciting the mantra (even once) is highlighted as spiritually decisive.