Shloka 19
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
अरुंधती यथा स्त्रीणां शस्त्राणां कुलिशं यथा । अकारः सर्ववर्णानां गायत्री छंदसां यथा ॥ १९ ॥
aruṃdhatī yathā strīṇāṃ śastrāṇāṃ kuliśaṃ yathā | akāraḥ sarvavarṇānāṃ gāyatrī chaṃdasāṃ yathā || 19 ||
女性の中ではアルンダティーが最勝であり、武器の中ではヴァジュラ（クリシャ、雷の金剛）が最勝であるように——あらゆる音声の中では字母「ア」が最勝であり、ヴェーダの韻律の中ではガーヤトリーが最勝である。
Narada (as narrator/teacher within the Uttara-Bhaga discourse)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
The verse teaches a hierarchy of excellence through well-known exemplars: as certain ideals are ‘foremost’ in their domains, so the foundational sound ‘A’ and the Gāyatrī metre are presented as primary supports for Vedic speech and sacred recitation.
By highlighting Gāyatrī as foremost among metres, the verse implicitly elevates disciplined mantra-recitation and reverent Vedic chanting—core devotional practices that purify the mind and steady devotion toward the Divine.
It points to Vedāṅga Chandas (Vedic metre) via ‘Gāyatrī’ and to Śikṣā/phonetics via the primacy of ‘akāra’, emphasizing correct sound, metre, and recitation as practical foundations of Vedic study and ritual.