Shloka 28

Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas

Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy

Devanagari script

गायत्रीं पठते यस्तु योनिसंकरजो द्विजः । गाथा वा गीतिका वाणी तस्य संपद्यते नृप

Transliteration

gāyatrīṃ paṭhate yastu yonisaṃkarajo dvijaḥ | gāthā vā gītikā vāṇī tasya saṃpadyate nṛpa

Translation

O König, wenn ein Zweimalgeborener gemischter Herkunft die Gāyatrī rezitiert, wird seine Rede vollendet—als erzählender Vers oder als Lieddichtung.

Word by Word

• gāyatrīm: the Gāyatrī (mantra)
• gāyatrīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• paṭhate: recites
• paṭhate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (subject of 'paṭhate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: None (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात) of emphasis/contrast

• yoni-saṃkara-jaḥ: born of mixed lineage
• yoni-saṃkara-jaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkara (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'born from mixed womb/lineage' (qualifies 'dvijaḥ')

• dvijaḥ: a twice-born (Brahmin etc.)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to 'yaḥ')
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gāthā: a verse/chant
• gāthā: Karta (कर्ता) (subject of 'saṃpadyate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: None (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, disjunctive particle (विकल्प): 'or'

• gītikā: a song/lyric
• gītikā: Karta (कर्ता) (co-subject of 'saṃpadyate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: gītikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: None (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, disjunctive particle (विकल्प): 'or'

• vāṇī: speech/utterance
• vāṇī: Karta (कर्ता) (co-subject of 'saṃpadyate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (genitive: 'of him')
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃpadyate: comes to be/ensues
• saṃpadyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-pad (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified narrator addressing a king (nṛpa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: yaḥ + tu → yastu; yoni-saṃkara-jaḥ is a tatpuruṣa with -ja 'born from'.

Characters & Entities

• Gayatri

FAQs

What is the main teaching of this verse?

It teaches that recitation of the Gāyatrī is credited with refining and empowering one’s speech—especially poetic or lyrical expression.

What do “gāthā” and “gītikā” signify here?

They indicate forms of elevated speech: gāthā as narrative/metrical verse and gītikā as song-like lyric poetry, suggesting eloquence and creative expression.

What ethical or spiritual lesson is implied?

The verse implies that disciplined sacred recitation can transform a person’s faculties (like speech), encouraging practice, self-cultivation, and reverence for mantra.