Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

जप्त्वैकामपि गायत्रीं संप्राप्य मणिकर्णिकाम् । लभेदयुतगायत्रीजपनस्य फलं स्फुटम्

Transliteration

japtvaikāmapi gāyatrīṃ saṃprāpya maṇikarṇikām | labhedayutagāyatrījapanasya phalaṃ sphuṭam

Translation

Hat man Maṇikarṇikā erreicht, so erlangt man, selbst wenn man die Gāyatrī nur ein einziges Mal rezitiert, deutlich die Frucht von zehntausend Rezitationen.

Word by Word

• जप्त्वा: having recited
• जप्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जप् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• एकाम्: one
• एकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• गायत्रीम्: the Gāyatrī (mantra)
• गायत्रीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सम्: fully, completely (as prefix)
• सम्: Upasarga (Preverb/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् → प्राप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund)

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणि (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/संज्ञा

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• अयुत: ten-thousand
• अयुत: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयुत (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, समासपूर्वपद; ‘ten thousand’

• गायत्री: Gāyatrī
• गायत्री: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासमध्यपद

• जपनस्य: of (such) recitation
• जपनस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक) + अन (प्रत्यय) → जपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘अयुत-गायत्री-जपन’ = ‘recitation of ten-thousand Gāyatrīs’

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• स्फुटम्: clearly, distinctly
• स्फुटम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् ‘clearly’

Speaker

Śrī Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni addressed implicitly; broader ṛṣi audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at the river’s edge at Maṇikarṇikā, hands in añjali, silently chanting Gāyatrī; a subtle sun-disc (Savitṛ) radiance merges with Gaṅgā light; rosary beads visible.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred place (kṣetra) magnifies sincere practice; even a single mantra-japa can yield vast fruit when done at a great tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gāyatrī japa—stated as even one recitation at Maṇikarṇikā equaling ten thousand elsewhere.