Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अष्टाक्षरं जपन्मंत्रं संनिगृह्येंद्रियाणि च । वासुदेवमयो भूत्वा सर्वभूतकृपापरः

Transliteration

aṣṭākṣaraṃ japanmaṃtraṃ saṃnigṛhyeṃdriyāṇi ca | vāsudevamayo bhūtvā sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ

Translation

آٹھ حرفی منتر کا جپ کرتے اور حواس کو قابو میں رکھتے ہوئے میں واسو دیو میں سراسر رچ بس گیا، اور سب جانداروں پر کرپا کرنے میں یکسو ہو گیا۔

Word by Word

• aṣṭākṣaram: eight-syllabled
• aṣṭākṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (object-qualifier)

• japan: reciting
• japan: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jap (धातु) + śatṛ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; मंत्रम् इति विशेषणम्

• mantram: mantra
• mantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• saṃnigṛhya: having restrained
• saṃnigṛhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam + ni + grah (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• indriyāṇi: the senses
• indriyāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• vāsudevamayaḥ: consisting of Vāsudeva / filled with Vāsudeva
• vāsudevamayaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāsudeva + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicative)

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhū (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ: devoted to compassion for all beings
• sarvabhūtakṛpāparaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + bhūta + kṛpā + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of implied subject)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary sādhaka seated in meditation, lips softly moving in japa, senses withdrawn; a subtle aura of Vāsudeva pervades the body, and compassion radiates outward to all beings around—animals, humans, birds—calmly gathered.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Aṣṭākṣarī-mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-japa joined with self-restraint transforms the practitioner into God-centered compassion, making devotion inseparable from kindness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the tīrtha-based practice narrative of the chapter, but does not name the location explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aṣṭākṣarī-mantra japa and indriya-nigraha (sense-restraint) are explicitly prescribed.