Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

गायत्र्याः पठ्यमानाया यानि संत्यक्षराणि हि । तावदंगुलिमर्यादामकरोदरणीं नृपः

Transliteration

gāyatryāḥ paṭhyamānāyā yāni saṃtyakṣarāṇi hi | tāvadaṃgulimaryādāmakarodaraṇīṃ nṛpaḥ

Translation

Tandis que la Gāyatrī était récitée, selon le nombre de syllabes qu’elle contient, le roi fixa la mesure de l’araṇi en autant de longueurs de doigts.

Word by Word

• गायत्र्याः: of the Gāyatrī (mantra)
• गायत्र्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पठ्यमानायाः: being recited
• पठ्यमानायाः: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पठ् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying गायत्र्याः)

• यानि: which (those)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अक्षराणि: syllables
• अक्षराणि: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-प्रदर्शक

• तावत्: so much; as many
• तावत्: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक अव्यय (quantifier adverb)

• अङ्गुलि-मर्यादाम्: a boundary measured in finger-breadths
• अङ्गुलि-मर्यादाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुलि (प्रातिपदिक) + मर्यादा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अङ्गुलीनां मर्यादा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अकरोत्: made
• अकरोत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अरणीम्: the fire-stick (araṇi)
• अरणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (implied purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in a ritual enclosure measures the araṇi sticks by finger-breadths while a priest recites the Gāyatrī; sacred tools, kuśa grass, and a calm dawn atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Purūravas
• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma unites inner recitation and outer precision—measure and mantra together uphold sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is ritual-focused; the Setukhaṇḍa’s sacred setting frames the practice as tīrtha-supported merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Setting the araṇi’s measurements according to the number of syllables in the Gāyatrī during its recitation.