Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

शुद्धा पञ्चाक्षरी विद्या प्रासादी तदनन्तरम् । षडक्षरी तथा विद्या प्रासादस्य च दीपिका

Transliteration

śuddhā pañcākṣarī vidyā prāsādī tadanantaram | ṣaḍakṣarī tathā vidyā prāsādasya ca dīpikā

Translation

پھر پاک پانچ اَکشری وِدیا آئی، جو گویا پرساد کی طرح محلِ کرم عطا کرتی ہے؛ اور اسی طرح چھ اَکشری وِدیا—جو اس مقدس ‘محل’ کو چراغ کی مانند روشن کرتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• śuddhā: pure
• śuddhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• pañcākṣarī: five-syllabled
• pañcākṣarī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• vidyā: the mantra/knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• prāsādī: pertaining to the temple (prāsāda)
• prāsādī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāsādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā); प्रासादिन् = प्रासादसम्बन्धिनी (having/pertaining to the temple)

• tad: that/then
• tad: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular (used adverbially with anantaram)

• anantaram: immediately after
• anantaram: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावप्रयोगे नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative)

• ṣaḍakṣarī: six-syllabled
• ṣaḍakṣarī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with vidyā)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'thus/also')

• vidyā: the mantra/knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• prāsādasya: of the temple
• prāsādasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Singular

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

• dīpikā: a lamp/illuminer
• dīpikā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous mantra-vision: a palace-like inner sanctum formed of syllables around a liṅga; a lamp (dīpa) symbolizes the six-syllabled vidyā illuminating the sanctum; sages seated in japa near Kedāra shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcākṣarī Vidyā
• Ṣaḍakṣarī Vidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva mantras purify and confer divine grace; they also illuminate the inner path, like a lamp revealing a sacred abode of realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mantric teaching is embedded in Kedārakhaṇḍa, supporting Kedāra’s identity as a mantra-siddhi and liṅga-centered pilgrimage zone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, japa/recitation of the five- and six-syllabled Śaiva mantras is recommended, though counts and procedure are not specified.