Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

श्रीमहादेव उवाच । द्विजातीनां सहोंकारसहितो द्वादशाक्षरः । स्त्रीशूद्राणां नमस्कारपूर्वकः समुदाहृतः

Transliteration

śrīmahādeva uvāca | dvijātīnāṃ sahoṃkārasahito dvādaśākṣaraḥ | strīśūdrāṇāṃ namaskārapūrvakaḥ samudāhṛtaḥ

Translation

شری مہادیو نے فرمایا: دوبارہ جنم لینے والوں کے لیے بارہ اَکشری منتر اومکار کے ساتھ بتایا گیا ہے؛ اور عورتوں اور شودروں کے لیے اسے سلام (نمو) سے پہلے کہہ کر مقرر کیا گیا ہے۔

Word by Word

• śrīmahādevaḥ: Śrī Mahādeva
• śrīmahādevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• dvijātīnām: for the twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• dvijātīnām: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvi-jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'of/for the twice-born')

• saha-oṃkāra-sahitaḥ: accompanied with the syllable Oṃ
• saha-oṃkāra-sahitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saha (अव्यय) + oṃkāra + sahita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'sahita' = 'accompanied'; विशेषणम् (qualifies 'dvādaśākṣaraḥ')

• dvādaśākṣaraḥ: the twelve-syllable (mantra)
• dvādaśākṣaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa-akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• strīśūdrāṇām: for women and Śūdras
• strīśūdrāṇām: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī-śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'for women and Śūdras')

• namaskāra-pūrvakaḥ: preceded by salutation (namaḥ)
• namaskāra-pūrvakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: namaskāra + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies implied 'dvādaśākṣaraḥ')

• samudāhṛtaḥ: is declared; is prescribed
• samudāhṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) 'samudāhṛta'; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (stative passive sense: 'is declared')

Speaker

Śiva (Mahādeva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahādeva instructs on mantra order: a calm didactic scene with Śiva as teacher, sacred syllables (Oṃ / namo) visually suggested as akṣaras in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)
• Oṃ (Praṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra practice is presented as regulated by traditional rules of utterance and eligibility, emphasizing proper entry-form (Oṃ or namo).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is mantra-vidhi within the broader māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The twelve-syllable mantra is to be recited with Oṃ for dvijas, and with “namo” as the prefatory salutation for women and Śūdras.