Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

गायत्रीसारमात्रोऽपि वरं विप्रः सुयन्त्रितः । नायंत्रितश्चतुर्वेदी सर्वाशी सर्वविक्रयी

Transliteration

gāyatrīsāramātro'pi varaṃ vipraḥ suyantritaḥ | nāyaṃtritaścaturvedī sarvāśī sarvavikrayī

Translation

Better is a brāhmaṇa who knows only the essence of the Gāyatrī yet is well-restrained, than an unrestrained knower of the four Vedas who eats everything and sells everything.

Word by Word

• गायत्रीसारमात्रः: having only the essence of the Gāyatrī
• गायत्रीसारमात्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गायत्री + सार + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (गायत्र्याः सारः, तस्य मात्रः = only the essence of Gāyatrī)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (particle: even/also)

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Pradhana (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुयन्त्रितः: well-controlled
• सुयन्त्रितः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + यन्त्रित (कृदन्त; यम्-धातु/यच्छ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत (well-restrained)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अयन्त्रितः: uncontrolled
• अयन्त्रितः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + यन्त्रित (कृदन्त; यम्-धातु/यच्छ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नञ्-पूर्वक (unrestrained)

• चतुर्वेदी: knower of the four Vedas
• चतुर्वेदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + वेदिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चतुरो वेदान् वेत्ति)

• सर्वाशी: eating everything
• सर्वाशी: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वम् अश्नाति)

• सर्वविक्रयी: selling everything
• सर्वविक्रयी: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + विक्रयिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वं विक्रीणाति)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two brāhmaṇas contrasted before Somnātha: one simple, restrained, holding a small Gāyatrī palm-leaf; the other richly adorned with four Veda bundles, surrounded by market goods, eating indiscriminately. A luminous aura surrounds the restrained one.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restraint and character outweigh mere scriptural accumulation; dharma values inner discipline over display of learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Māhātmya frames right conduct as the true ornament of sacred learning.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes self-restraint and condemns indiscriminate eating and mercenary selling, even in the learned.