Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

वेदस्य वदनं प्रोक्तं गायत्री त्रिपदा परा । तिसृभिः प्रणवाद्याभिर्महाव्याहृतिभिः सह

Transliteration

vedasya vadanaṃ proktaṃ gāyatrī tripadā parā | tisṛbhiḥ praṇavādyābhirmahāvyāhṛtibhiḥ saha

Translation

On dit que la « bouche » du Veda est la Gāyatrī suprême aux trois pādas, avec les trois grandes énonciations (mahāvyāhṛtis) commençant par le Praṇava.

Word by Word

• वेदस्य: of the Veda
• वेदस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वदनम्: the mouth/face
• वदनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: is declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said/declared’

• गायत्री: Gāyatrī
• गायत्री: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रिपदा: three-footed/three-part
• त्रिपदा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘गायत्री’)

• परा: supreme
• परा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘गायत्री’)

• तिसृभिः: with three
• तिसृभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of following feminine plural)

• प्रणव-आद्याभिः: beginning with the praṇava (Oṃ)
• प्रणव-आद्याभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रणव (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘प्रणवः आदिः यसासाम्’ (beginning with praṇava)

• महा-व्याहृतिभिः: with the great utterances (vyāhṛtis)
• महा-व्याहृतिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याहृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (particle meaning ‘together with’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Vedic brāhmaṇa seated on a kuśa mat at dawn, facing east, with Gaṅgā’s shimmering steps behind; subtle radiance forms the three pādas of Gāyatrī and the Praṇava above his head, suggesting ‘Veda’s mouth’.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Praṇava
• Mahāvyāhṛti
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gāyatrī, supported by Oṃ and the vyāhṛtis, is presented as the essential gateway through which Vedic wisdom is voiced and realized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī milieu, but it specifically glorifies mantra structure rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use Gāyatrī (three pādas) together with Praṇava and the three mahāvyāhṛtis (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ) as the standard Vedic framing.