Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 146

Devanagari script

गायत्रीसारमात्रोऽपि वरं विप्रः सुयन्त्रितः । नायंत्रितश्चतुर्वेदः सर्वाशी सर्वविक्रयी

Transliteration

gāyatrīsāramātro'pi varaṃ vipraḥ suyantritaḥ | nāyaṃtritaścaturvedaḥ sarvāśī sarvavikrayī

Translation

“Even a brāhmaṇa who knows only the essence of Gāyatrī is superior, if he is well-disciplined. But one who is undisciplined—even if he knows the four Vedas—becomes a devourer of everything and a seller of everything, one who turns dharma into merchandise.”

Word by Word

• gāyatrī-sāra-mātraḥ: one who has only the essence of the Gāyatrī (i.e., even minimally learned)
• gāyatrī-sāra-mātraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गायत्र्याः सारः = गायत्रीसारः; तस्य मात्रः)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘even/also’

• varam: a boon / better (as predicate-acc.)
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• su-yantritaḥ: well-restrained, well-disciplined
• su-yantritaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + √yam (यम्, धातु) → yantrita (कृदन्त/ppp)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP ‘yantrita’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सु’ उपसर्गार्थे ‘well’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• ayantritaḥ: unrestrained, undisciplined
• ayantritaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + √yam (यम्, धातु) → yantrita (कृदन्त/ppp)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• catur-vedaḥ: (one who knows) the four Vedas / the four-Veda scholar
• catur-vedaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगुः (चत्वारः वेदाः यस्य/चतुर्वेदः)

• sarvāśī: eating everything (indiscriminately)
• sarvāśī: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वं अश्नाति इति)

• sarva-vikrayī: selling everything (mercenary)
• sarva-vikrayī: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वं विक्रयति इति)

Speaker

Gāyatrī (personified Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two brāhmaṇas contrasted: one calm, restrained, chanting the essence of Gāyatrī with modesty; the other surrounded by scrolls, yet bargaining and weighing goods, symbolizing ‘sarva-vikraya’ and moral fall.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Caturveda
• Vipra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restraint and lived dharma outweigh mere textual mastery; character is the true ornament of Vedic learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra provides the Māhātmya setting, emphasizing that sacred instruction is tied to sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly prescribes yama/niyama (self-restraint) alongside mantra-knowledge; it critiques ritual without discipline.