Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

दशभिर्जन्मजनितं शतेन तु पुरा कृतम् । त्रियुगं तु सहस्रेण गायत्री हंति किल्बिषम्

Transliteration

daśabhirjanmajanitaṃ śatena tu purā kṛtam | triyugaṃ tu sahasreṇa gāyatrī haṃti kilbiṣam

Translation

Mit zehn (Rezitationen) vernichtet Gāyatrī die in diesem Leben entstandenen Sünden; mit hundert die einst begangenen; mit tausend tilgt sie die Unreinheiten von drei Yugas.

Word by Word

• दशभिः: by ten
• दशभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (numeral adjective)

• जन्मजनितम्: born of birth; birth-produced
• जन्मजनितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + जनित (कृदन्त; √जन् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (जन्मना जनितम् = birth-produced)

• शतेन: by a hundred
• शतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle); विरोध/अन्वयार्थकः (but/indeed)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (temporal adverb)

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle)

• त्रियुगम्: three yugas
• त्रियुगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; द्विगुसमासः (three yugas)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle)

• सहस्रेण: by a thousand
• सहस्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्

• गायत्री: Gāyatrī (mantra)
• गायत्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• हन्ति: destroys
• हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• किल्बिषम्: sin
• किल्बिषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Gāyatrī (Veda-mātā, personified)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A practitioner recites Gāyatrī with a mala; three panels show 10, 100, 1000 counts as expanding halos; behind, a timeline motif of ‘this life’, ‘past’, and ‘three yugas’ dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Yuga
• Kilbiṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistent mantra-japa is portrayed as progressively purifying, reaching beyond present-life faults to deep karmic residues.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though the verse gives a general japa-phala, it is taught within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, aligning the practice with tīrtha power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Gāyatrī-japa in counted recitations (10, 100, 1000) for escalating purification.