Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

गायत्र्यक्षरतत्त्वैस्तु ब्रह्माणं यस्तु पूजयेत् । उपोष्य पंचदश्यां तु स याति परमं पदम्

Transliteration

gāyatryakṣaratattvaistu brahmāṇaṃ yastu pūjayet | upoṣya paṃcadaśyāṃ tu sa yāti paramaṃ padam

Translation

Celui qui vénère Brahmā par les principes essentiels des syllabes de la Gāyatrī, et jeûne au quinzième jour lunaire, atteint l’état suprême.

Word by Word

• गायत्री: of Gāyatrī
• गायत्री: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• अक्षरतत्त्वैः: by the principles/realities of the syllables
• अक्षरतत्त्वैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अक्षरस्य तत्त्वम्) — Genitive Tatpurusha

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• उपोष्य: having fasted
• उपोष्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपवस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव — Gerund; ‘having fasted’

• पञ्चदश्याम्: on the fifteenth (lunar day)
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative (7th), Singular

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; विशेषणम् (पदम्)

• पदम्: state/abode
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a bright pañcadaśī night, a fasting devotee sits near the shrine with a japa-mālā; Brahmā is envisioned on a lotus, while Gāyatrī appears as radiant mantra-light encircling the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Gāyatrī
• Paurnimā/15th tithi (implied)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-essence plus disciplined fasting transforms worship into liberation-oriented practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where worship of Brahmā with Gāyatrī discipline is said to yield the highest fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Brahmā using Gāyatrī’s akṣara-tattva and observe a fast on the fifteenth lunar day.