Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

एतदक्षरमेनां च जपेद्व्याहृतिपूर्विकाम् । संध्ययोर्वेदविद्विप्रो वेदपुण्येन युज्यते

Transliteration

etadakṣaramenāṃ ca japedvyāhṛtipūrvikām | saṃdhyayorvedavidvipro vedapuṇyena yujyate

Translation

বেদজ্ঞ ব্রাহ্মণকে ব্যাহৃতি-সহ পূর্বে এই অক্ষর (ॐ) ও এই (গায়ত্রী) জপ করা উচিত; উভয় সন্ধ্যায় করলে সে বেদজাত পুণ্যে যুক্ত হয়।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘अक्षरम्’)

• अक्षरम्: syllable/imperishable (Oṃ)
• अक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एनाम्: her/this (Gāyatrī)
• एनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; एना-रूप)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (referring to ‘गायत्री/सावित्री’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• व्याहृति-पूर्विकाम्: preceded by the vyāhṛtis
• व्याहृति-पूर्विकाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याहृति (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्विक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘एनाम्’): ‘व्याहृतयः पूर्वं यस्याः’ (preceded by the vyāhṛtis)

• संध्ययोः: at the two sandhyās (dawn and dusk)
• संध्ययोः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), द्विवचन; कालाधिकरण (at the two twilights)

• वेदविद्: knower of the Veda
• वेदविद्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक: ‘knower’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘विप्रः’): ‘वेदं वेत्ति’

• विप्रः: a brāhmaṇa
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वेद-पुण्येन: by the merit of the Veda
• वेद-पुण्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• युज्यते: is endowed/connected
• युज्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is joined/endowed’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-panel diptych: at sunrise and sunset, the same brāhmaṇa performs sandhyā by the river; vyāhṛtis appear as three glowing steps leading to Oṃ and then to the Gāyatrī mantra as a radiant garland.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃ
• Vyāhṛti
• Sandhyā
• Veda
• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular sandhyā practice with the proper Vedic components is a direct means to accrue Veda-born merit and inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting, underscoring Kāśī as a seat of Vedic dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At both dawn and dusk (two sandhyās), recite Oṃ and Gāyatrī with the vyāhṛtis as the preface.