Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 160

Devanagari script

सहस्रकृत्वो गायत्र्याः शतकृत्वोथवा पुनः । दशकृत्वोथ देव्यैव कुर्यात्सौरीमुपस्थितिम्

Transliteration

sahasrakṛtvo gāyatryāḥ śatakṛtvothavā punaḥ | daśakṛtvotha devyaiva kuryātsaurīmupasthitim

Translation

بعد تكرار غاياتري (Gāyatrī) ألف مرة—أو مئة مرة، أو مرة أخرى عشر مرات—ينبغي أداء الأوباستهيتي (upasthiti)، أي الوقوف التعبدي بين يدي سُوريا (Sūrya)، على أن تكون الإلهة نفسها (غاياتري) هي الوسيلة.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-कृत्वः: a thousand times
• सहस्र-कृत्वः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Frequency/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस्/कृत्वः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (frequency adverb)

• गायत्र्याः: of the Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शत-कृत्वः: a hundred times
• शत-कृत्वः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Frequency/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस्/कृत्वः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (frequency adverb)

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive)

• पुनः: again / alternatively
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (again/further)

• दश-कृत्वः: ten times
• दश-कृत्वः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Frequency/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस्/कृत्वः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (frequency adverb)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/सम्बोधन-निपात (then/now)

• देव्या: by/with the Goddess (Gāyatrī)
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphasis)

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सौरीम्: solar (related to Sūrya)
• सौरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (उपस्थितिम्-विशेषण)

• उपस्थितिम्: attendance/worship (standing prayer)
• उपस्थितिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपस्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sūrya-upasthiti at Gaṅgā-ghāṭas (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee completes Gāyatrī-japa with a mālā, then stands facing the rising sun offering arghya; behind him, the Gaṅgā glitters and Kāśī’s temples silhouette the horizon; Gāyatrī Devī is envisioned subtly within the solar orb.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Sūrya
• Upasthiti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady mantra-discipline culminates in reverent worship; even reduced counts preserve the ritual’s intent when done properly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s guidance for dharmic practice in Kāśī, not a single named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Repeat Gāyatrī (1000/100/10 times as feasible) and then perform Sūrya upasthiti.