Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

राज्ञ्युवाच । राजन्मम पुरा बाल्ये दुर्वासा मुनिपुंगवः । शैवीं पंचाक्षरीं विद्यां कारुण्येनोपदिष्टवान्

Transliteration

rājñyuvāca | rājanmama purā bālye durvāsā munipuṃgavaḥ | śaivīṃ paṃcākṣarīṃ vidyāṃ kāruṇyenopadiṣṭavān

Translation

Hoàng hậu thưa: “Tâu Đại vương, thuở ấu thơ của thiếp, hiền thánh Durvāsā—bậc tối thượng trong hàng ẩn sĩ—đã từ bi truyền dạy cho thiếp Thánh minh Pañcākṣarī của phái Śaiva.”

Word by Word

• rājñī: the queen
• rājñī: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājñī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम ‘अस्मद्’; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• purā: formerly
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• bālye: in childhood
• bālye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• durvāsāḥ: Durvāsā
• durvāsāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम

• muni-puṃgavaḥ: the foremost of sages
• muni-puṃgavaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + puṃgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śaivīm: Śaiva (of Śiva)
• śaivīm: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• paṃca-akṣarīm: five-syllabled
• paṃca-akṣarīm: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃca (संख्या/अव्ययवत्) + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (संख्यापूर्वपद); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘पञ्चाक्षरी’

• vidyām: mantra/knowledge
• vidyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• kāruṇyena: out of compassion
• kāruṇyena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāruṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• upadiṣṭavān: instructed/taught
• upadiṣṭavān: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√diś (धातु) → upadiṣṭa (कृदन्त) + vān (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘क्तवतुँ’ (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘having instructed’

Speaker

Queen

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcākṣarī (Namaḥ Śivāya) as pan-tīrtha mantra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (राजन्)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The queen reveals her childhood initiation: sage Durvāsā compassionately teaching the Śaiva pañcākṣarī; a flashback of guru and disciple, with Śiva’s presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā
• Śiva
• King
• Queen

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-śakti is received through compassionate guru-upadeśa and sustained by purity and discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes guru lineage and Śaiva mantra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Receiving mantra through proper instruction (upadeśa) from a qualified guru is implied.