Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्यां व्यतीपातो यदा भवेत् । तदात्र श्राद्धकरणाद्गयाकोटिगुणं भवेत्

Transliteration

gurupuṣyāsitāṣṭamyāṃ vyatīpāto yadā bhavet | tadātra śrāddhakaraṇādgayākoṭiguṇaṃ bhavet

Translation

ഗുരു (ബൃഹസ്പതി)യും പുഷ്യ നക്ഷത്രവും കൂടിയ കൃഷ്ണപക്ഷ അഷ്ടമിയിൽ വ്യതീപാതയോഗം സംഭവിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അന്ന് ഇവിടെ ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ ഗയയിലെ ഫലത്തേക്കാൾ കോടിഗുണം അധികം ഫലം ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्याम्: on the dark eighth (tithi) with Guru and Puṣya (configuration)
• गुरुपुष्यासिताष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु-पूष्य-असिता-अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक; गुरु + पुष्य + असिता + अष्टमी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-समाहार (गुरुपुष्य-योगे असितायां अष्टम्यां)

• व्यतीपातः: Vyatīpāta (an astronomical yoga)
• व्यतीपातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतीपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: when)

• भवेत्: should occur/be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• श्राद्धकरणात्: from performing śrāddha
• श्राद्धकरणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध-करण (प्रातिपदिक; श्राद्ध + करण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्राद्धस्य करणम्)

• गयाकोटिगुणम्: a crore-fold (compared to) Gayā
• गयाकोटिगुणम्: Karma (Predicate complement/फल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गया-कोटि-गुण (प्रातिपदिक; गया + कोटि + गुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गयायाः कोटिगुणम् = a crore-times of Gayā)

• भवेत्: would be/become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī śrāddha-sthāna (linked to Jñānoda/Jñānatīrtha in context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rṣi audience / internal interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night-sky over Kāśī with visible lunar phase (kṛṣṇa aṣṭamī) and auspicious astral symbols for Puṣya and Guru; below, a śrāddha rite at the ghat, with a radiant ‘koṭi-guṇa’ aura emanating from offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Vyatīpāta
• Puṣya Nakṣatra
• Bṛhaspati (Guru)
• Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī
• Gayā
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right time (kāla) and right place (Kāśī) together magnify pitṛ-rites immensely, reflecting Purāṇic emphasis on sacred timing and geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘here’ refers to the Kāśī tīrtha praised in Adhyāya 33 (Jñānoda/Jñānatīrtha context), set against Gayā as the benchmark for śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha during Vyatīpāta when it coincides with Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī and the Guru–Puṣya configuration.