Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्यां व्यतीपातो यदा भवेत् । तदात्र श्राद्धकरणाद्गयाकोटिगुणं भवेत्

Transliteration

gurupuṣyāsitāṣṭamyāṃ vyatīpāto yadā bhavet | tadātra śrāddhakaraṇādgayākoṭiguṇaṃ bhavet

Translation

Wenn die Vyatīpāta-Yoga am dunklen achten Tag (Aṣṭamī) unter Guru (Bṛhaspati) und Puṣya eintritt, dann wird das Śrāddha, das man hier vollzieht, um ein Krorfaches fruchtbarer als (das Verdienst von) Gayā.

Word by Word

• गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्याम्: on the dark eighth (tithi) with Guru and Puṣya (configuration)
• गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु-पूष्य-असिता-अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक; गुरु + पुष्य + असिता + अष्टमी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-समाहार (गुरुपुष्य-योगे असितायां अष्टम्यां)

• व्यतीपातः: Vyatīpāta (an astronomical yoga)
• व्यतीपातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतीपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: when)

• भवेत्: should occur/be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• श्राद्धकरणात्: from performing śrāddha
• श्राद्धकरणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध-करण (प्रातिपदिक; श्राद्ध + करण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य करणम्)

• गयाकोटिगुणम्: a crore-fold (compared to) Gayā
• गयाकोटिगुणम्: Karma (Predicate complement/फल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गया-कोटि-गुण (प्रातिपदिक; गया + कोटि + गुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गयायाः कोटिगुणम् = a crore-times of Gayā)

• भवेत्: would be/become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī śrāddha-sthāna (linked to Jñānoda/Jñānatīrtha in context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rṣi audience / internal interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night-sky over Kāśī with visible lunar phase (kṛṣṇa aṣṭamī) and auspicious astral symbols for Puṣya and Guru; below, a śrāddha rite at the ghat, with a radiant ‘koṭi-guṇa’ aura emanating from offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Vyatīpāta
• Puṣya Nakṣatra
• Bṛhaspati (Guru)
• Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī
• Gayā
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right time (kāla) and right place (Kāśī) together magnify pitṛ-rites immensely, reflecting Purāṇic emphasis on sacred timing and geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘here’ refers to the Kāśī tīrtha praised in Adhyāya 33 (Jñānoda/Jñānatīrtha context), set against Gayā as the benchmark for śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha during Vyatīpāta when it coincides with Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī and the Guru–Puṣya configuration.