Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

काश्यप उवाच । चतुराननगेहिन्यौ जगद्धात्र्यौ नमाम्यहम् । विद्यास्वरूपे गायत्री सरस्वत्यौ शुभे उभे

Transliteration

kāśyapa uvāca | caturānanagehinyau jagaddhātryau namāmyaham | vidyāsvarūpe gāyatrī sarasvatyau śubhe ubhe

Translation

കാശ്യപൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ചതുര്മുഖനായ പ്രഭു ബ്രഹ്മാവിന്റെ ധാമത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന, ജഗത്തിനെ ധരിക്കുന്ന, വിദ്യാസ്വരൂപിണികളായ മംഗളകരമായ ഗായത്രി-സരസ്വതീ ദേവിമാരെ ഞാൻ നമസ്കരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• kāśyapaḥ: Kāśyapa
• kāśyapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; speaker tag

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; √वच्—'said'

• catur-ānana-gehinyau: the two dwellers in the four-faced one's abode
• catur-ānana-gehinyau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक) + gehinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), द्विवचन; 'the two who dwell in the house of the four-faced (Brahmā)'

• jagat-dhātryau: the two supporters of the world
• jagat-dhātryau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), द्विवचन; 'the two sustainers of the world'

• namāmi: I bow to
• namāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; √नम्—'I bow'

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 1st person pronoun

• vidyā-svarūpe: O embodiments of knowledge
• vidyā-svarūpe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक) + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), द्विवचन; 'O two whose nature is knowledge' (vocative)

• gāyatrī: O Gāyatrī
• gāyatrī: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; vocative

• sarasvatyau: O Sarasvatī (you two)
• sarasvatyau: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), द्विवचन; vocative dual (addressing Sarasvatī as a pair with Gāyatrī)

• śubhe: O auspicious ones
• śubhe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), द्विवचन; vocative adjective qualifying the two

• ubhe: both
• ubhe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (8/1), द्विवचन; here vocative 'both'

Speaker

Kaśyapa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrthadvaya (Gāyatrī–Sarasvatī)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kaśyapa speaks directly: he bows to the two goddesses who dwell with the four-faced Brahmā, portraying them as radiant embodiments of knowledge; the atmosphere is calm and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Kaśyapa
• Gāyatrī
• Sarasvatī
• Brahmā (Caturānana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True knowledge (vidyā) is revered as divine; honoring Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī supports dharma and the world’s wellbeing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra’s twin tīrtha context frames the hymn, presenting the place as a seat of vidyā-devatās.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti and namaskāra to Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī as a devotional practice aligned with tīrtha worship.