Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 124

Devanagari script

अष्टोत्तरशतं नाम्नां श्रृणु त्वं तानि फाल्गुन । जपेन येषां पापानि यांति ज्ञानमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

aṣṭottaraśataṃ nāmnāṃ śrṛṇu tvaṃ tāni phālguna | japena yeṣāṃ pāpāni yāṃti jñānamavāpnuyāt

Translation

اے فالگُن! اُن ایک سو آٹھ ناموں کو سنو؛ جن کے جپ سے گناہ دور ہوتے ہیں اور روحانی معرفت حاصل ہوتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• aṣṭottaraśatam: one hundred and eight
• aṣṭottaraśatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa + uttara + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-समास (aṣṭa-uttara-śata = 108)

• nāmnām: of (the) names
• nāmnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• śrṛṇu: hear
• śrṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• tāni: those (names)
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• phālguna: O Phālguna
• phālguna: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phālguna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन-प्रयोग

• japena: by recitation (japa)
• japena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• yeṣām: of which (names)
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• yānti: go away / depart
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• avāpnuyāt: may obtain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Viśvāmitra (introducing the nāmāvalī; inferred from immediate context of composing the stava)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses Phālguna (Arjuna) in a calm sacred setting, introducing a rosary and palm-leaf manuscript of the 108 names; subtle aura around the names as luminous syllables dissolving darkness (sins) and revealing a lamp-like knowledge within the heart.

Characters & Entities

• Phālguna (Arjuna)
• Skanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred name-recitation (nāma-japa) is portrayed as a direct purifier that leads from pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin) to jñāna (spiritual insight).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse glorifies the merit (puṇya) of Skanda’s 108 names.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of Skanda’s aṣṭottaraśata-nāma (108 names) for purification and attainment of knowledge.