Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गायत्र्यादिमहामंत्रजपपुण्यं तथा भवेत् । गोसहस्रप्रदनृणां प्राप्नोत्यविकलं फलम्

Transliteration

gāyatryādimahāmaṃtrajapapuṇyaṃ tathā bhavet | gosahasrapradanṛṇāṃ prāpnotyavikalaṃ phalam

Translation

Ici naît le mérite du japa des grands mantras, à commencer par la Gāyatrī ; et l’on obtient intégralement le fruit de ceux qui offrent mille vaches en don.

Word by Word

• gāyatrī-ādi-mahā-mantra-japa-puṇyam: the merit of reciting great mantras such as the Gāyatrī
• gāyatrī-ādi-mahā-mantra-japa-puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (gāyatrī-ādayaḥ mahāmantrāḥ, teṣāṃ japaḥ, tasya puṇyam)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• bhavet: would be; may occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• go-sahasra-prada-nṛṇām: of men who give a thousand cows
• go-sahasra-prada-nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक) + nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (go-sahasraṃ pradadāti iti pradaḥ; te naraḥ)

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• avikalam: complete; unimpaired
• avikalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avikala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘phalam’ इति विशेषणम्

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims seated on the shore after snāna, counting japa on mālā; a radiant Gāyatrī motif (sun-disc) above; nearby a symbolic go-dāna scene—cows adorned, being gifted to brāhmaṇas—indicating ‘go-sahasra’ fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Mantra-japa
• Go-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place can amplify core dharmic practices—japa and dāna—granting their merits through tīrtha-sevā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu tīrtha praised in this chapter, associated with Kapitīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa (especially Gāyatrī) is extolled, and the merit is compared to go-dāna of a thousand cows.