Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गायत्री च यदा विप्रास्तेनोढा यज्ञकर्मणि । प्राक्स्थितां च परित्यज्य सर्वदेवसमागमे । कालात्ययो भवेन्नैव सावित्र्यागमने स्थिरे

Transliteration

gāyatrī ca yadā viprāstenoḍhā yajñakarmaṇi | prāksthitāṃ ca parityajya sarvadevasamāgame | kālātyayo bhavennaiva sāvitryāgamane sthire

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ, യജ്ഞകർമ്മത്തിനായി ഗായത്രിയെ വിവാഹം കഴിപ്പിച്ചപ്പോൾ, മുമ്പേ പുറപ്പെട്ട സാവിത്രിയെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് സർവ്വദേവസമാഗമത്തിൽ തീരുമാനം നടന്നു; സാവിത്രിയുടെ വരവ് കാത്തിരുന്നിട്ടും സമയവിലംബം ഒരിക്കലും അനുവദിച്ചില്ല.

Word by Word

• गायत्री: Gāyatrī
• गायत्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विप्राः: brahmins
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ऊढा: married/taken as wife
• ऊढा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vah (धातु) + ūḍha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• यज्ञकर्मणि: in the sacrificial rite
• यज्ञकर्मणि: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of sacrifice' + 'rite'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्राक्स्थिताम्: (her) who was standing before/previously placed
• प्राक्स्थिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāk (अव्यय) + sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (adverbial: 'previously' + 'standing'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-tyaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), 'having abandoned'

• सर्वदेवसमागमे: in the assembly of all the gods
• सर्वदेवसमागमे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + samāgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of all gods' + 'assembly'), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कालात्ययः: lapse of time
• कालात्ययः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + atyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'of time' + 'passing'), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भवेत्: would occur/be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सावित्र्यागमने: at the arrival of Sāvitrī
• सावित्र्यागमने: Adhikaraṇa (Time/Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक) + āgamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of Sāvitrī' + 'arrival'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थिरे: when fixed/firm (i.e., when it is settled)
• स्थिरे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying the locative context)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta-style narration within Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis (explicit: 'O brāhmaṇas')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand sacrificial arena with all gods assembled; Savitrī absent; Brahmā proceeds by wedding Gāyatrī for the rite; tension in the assembly—urgency of time versus awaiting Savitrī.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Savitrī
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the Purāṇic tension between ritual exigency (kāla and yajña) and relational dharma, which becomes the seed of later consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as narrative causation within the chapter; the tīrtha focus emerges through the subsequent unfolding of events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The insistence on not missing the auspicious sacrificial time (kāla) is implied, though no step-by-step rite is enumerated here.