Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

एवं कृत्वार्च्चयेद्देवं गायत्रीन्यासयोगतः । मूर्ध्नः पादतलं यावत्प्रणवं विन्यसेद्बुधः

Transliteration

evaṃ kṛtvārccayeddevaṃ gāyatrīnyāsayogataḥ | mūrdhnaḥ pādatalaṃ yāvatpraṇavaṃ vinyasedbudhaḥ

Translation

Cela accompli, qu’on adore la Divinité selon la pratique du Gāyatrī-nyāsa ; que le sage dépose le Praṇava (Om) depuis le sommet du crâne jusqu’aux plantes des pieds.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb)

• कृत्वा: having done (so)
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having done’

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गायत्रीन्यासयोगतः: according to the practice of Gāyatrī-nyāsa
• गायत्रीन्यासयोगतः: Hetu/Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक) + nyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + yogataḥ (अव्यय/तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त): ‘योगतः/according to, by means of’; समास: गायत्री-न्यास-योगतः = गायत्री-न्यासस्य योगतः (in accordance with the Gāyatrī-nyāsa)

• मूर्ध्नः: from the head
• मूर्ध्नः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान) एकवचन; अर्थे: ‘from the head’

• पादतलम्: the sole of the foot
• पादतलम्: Karman/Avadhi (Limit as object/अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म) एकवचन; समास: पादस्य तलम् (sole of the foot)

• यावत्: up to
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक): ‘up to/as far as’

• प्रणवम्: the praṇava (Oṃ)
• प्रणवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• विन्यसेत्: should place/assign (nyāsa)
• विन्यसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√न्यस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बुधः: the wise person
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: budha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The priest/devotee touches head, face, heart, limbs, and feet in sequence, installing Praṇava through the body; a subtle aura forms as Gāyatrī-nyāsa is performed before offering flowers and incense.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Nyāsa
• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Brahmā (contextual deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship integrates body, speech, and mind—nyāsa sacralizes the practitioner’s whole being through mantra-consciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya, presenting its worship culture as mantra-rich and merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Gāyatrī-nyāsa and assign the Praṇava (Oṃ) through the body from head to soles before/within worship.