Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ओंकारः प्रथमस्तत्र चतुर्दश स्वरास्तथा । स्पर्शाश्चैव त्रयस्त्रिं शदनुस्वारस्तथैव च

Transliteration

oṃkāraḥ prathamastatra caturdaśa svarāstathā | sparśāścaiva trayastriṃ śadanusvārastathaiva ca

Translation

“ان میں اوṁکار سب سے پہلا ہے؛ پھر چودہ سَور (حروفِ علت) ہیں۔ اور ‘سپَرش’ کے طبقے کے حروفِ صحیحہ تینتیس ہیں—اور انُسوار بھی ساتھ ہے۔”

Word by Word

• oṃkāraḥ: the syllable Oṃ
• oṃkāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṃ-kāra (ओम् + कार) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ओम्-शब्दस्य कारः

• prathamaḥ: first
• prathamaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (oṃkāraḥ)

• tatra: there, in that set
• tatra: Sambandha (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (locative adverb): तत्र

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Karta (Numerical qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-daśa (चतुर् + दश) (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, अव्ययवत्/विशेषणरूपेण; द्विगु-समास; (svarāḥ) इत्यस्य संख्या-विशेषणम्

• svarāḥ: vowels
• svarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'thus/also'

• sparśāḥ: the sparśa consonants (stops)
• sparśāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle): एव

• trayastriṃśat: thirty-three
• trayastriṃśat: Karta (Numerical qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trayas-triṃśat (त्रयस् + त्रिंशत्) (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; द्विगु-समास; (sparśāḥ) इत्यस्य संख्या-विशेषणम्

• anusvāraḥ: anusvāra (nasal dot)
• anusvāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anusvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): likewise

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphasis): एव

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च

Speaker

Sutanū

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The brāhmaṇa questioner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Oṃ glyph appears above the speaker, followed by a cascading sequence of vowels and consonants arranged like a mandala grid; the listener watches as if seeing sound made visible.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• svarāḥ
• sparśāḥ
• anusvāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ is honored as primordial sound; ordered phonemes support mantra, scripture, and dharmic transmission.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports japa/mantra disciplines, but no explicit rite is stated.