Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

चतुर्णामपि वेदानां पुण्यमध्ययनाच्च यत् । तत्पुण्यं जायतां काश्यां गायत्रीलक्ष जाप्यतः

Transliteration

caturṇāmapi vedānāṃ puṇyamadhyayanācca yat | tatpuṇyaṃ jāyatāṃ kāśyāṃ gāyatrīlakṣa jāpyataḥ

Translation

Welches Verdienst auch immer aus dem Studium aller vier Veden entsteht—möge eben dieses Puṇya in Kāśī aus der Japa von hunderttausend Wiederholungen der Gāyatrī erwachsen.

Word by Word

• चतुर्णाम्: of the four
• चतुर्णाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (वेदानाम्-सम्बन्धे); षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन (gen pl: 'of four')

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: 'also/even')

• वेदानाम्: of the Vedas
• वेदानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन (gen pl)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (That which is obtained)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neut nom/acc sg)

• अध्ययनात्: from studying
• अध्ययनात्: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्ययन (प्रातिपदिक; अधि + √इ (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (abl sg: 'from/by means of study')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• यत्: which (merit)
• यत्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (rel. pronoun: 'which/that')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (demonstrative; 'that')

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (That to be produced)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• जायताम्: let it arise
• जायताम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd pl: 'let it arise/be produced')

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (loc sg)

• गायत्रीलक्ष: a lakh (100,000) of Gāyatrī (recitations)
• गायत्रीलक्ष: Karana/Parimana (Measure/Instrumental sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neut nom/acc sg); गायत्र्याः लक्षम् = 'a lakh of Gāyatrī (recitations)'

• जाप्यतः: from (its) being recited/muttered
• जाप्यतः: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाप्य (प्रातिपदिक; √जप्-धातोः यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय: 'to be muttered')
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (abl sg: 'from/by (its) being recited'); कर्मणि-भाव (gerundive used substantively)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated at a Gaṅgā-ghāṭa at dawn, counting a mālā, radiant Gāyatrī light rising like the sun; four Vedas appear as subtle luminous scrolls blessing the japa.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Four Vedas
• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, concentrated mantra-japa can yield Vedic-scale merit, highlighting the kṣetra’s amplifying sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a place where spiritual practices bear heightened fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gāyatrī-japa of one lakṣa (100,000) repetitions.