Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

अहो मोहस्य माहात्म्यं पश्यताविजितात्मनाम् । पठंति मातृकां पापा मन्यंते न सुरानिह

Transliteration

aho mohasya māhātmyaṃ paśyatāvijitātmanām | paṭhaṃti mātṛkāṃ pāpā manyaṃte na surāniha

Translation

Ôi, hãy xem uy lực của mê si nơi những kẻ chưa tự thắng mình: kẻ tội lỗi tụng ‘mātṛkā’ (mẫu tự/chân ngôn), mà tại đây lại chẳng hề thừa nhận chư thiên.

Word by Word

• aho: alas!/oh!
• aho: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक-अव्यय (interjection)

• mohasya: of delusion
• mohasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• māhātmyam: greatness/power
• māhātmyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• paśyata: see!
• paśyata: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• avijitātmanām: of those whose self is unconquered
• avijitātmanām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a + vijita + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-तत्पुरुष (negative determinative: ‘अविजित आत्मा’), पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• paṭhanti: they recite/read
• paṭhanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• mātṛkām: the mātṛkā (alphabet/seed-mantra series)
• mātṛkām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛkā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• pāpāḥ: sinful people
• pāpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• manyante: they think
• manyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• surān: the gods
• surān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here/in this world)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-audience (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: a person mechanically chanting letters on a rosary while a luminous assembly of devas stands nearby unacknowledged; above, a personification of Moha casts a veil over the chanter’s eyes.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Mātṛkā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-recitation without self-mastery and reverence becomes hollow, driven by delusion rather than dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is referenced; the emphasis is on inner discipline and right religious orientation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of mātṛkā (alphabet/seed-mantra set) is mentioned, but criticized when divorced from deva-reverence.