Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गयावदत्रैव पुनः श्राद्धं कार्यं नरोत्तमैः । तस्माद्गुप्तगया प्रोक्ता इयं सा विष्णुना स्वयम्

Transliteration

gayāvadatraiva punaḥ śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ narottamaiḥ | tasmādguptagayā proktā iyaṃ sā viṣṇunā svayam

Translation

ഗയയിലെപ്പോലെ ഇവിടെയും നരോത്തമന്മാർ വീണ്ടും ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്യണം. അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഈ സ്ഥലം സ്വയം വിഷ്ണു ‘ഗുപ്തഗയാ’ എന്നു വിളിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• गयावत्: like (in) Gayā
• गयावत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gayā-vat (प्रातिपदिक; -वत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘-वत्’ (possessive/like) = ‘Gayā-like’

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

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक (emphatic: indeed/only)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: to be performed
• कार्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातोः यत्-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• नरोत्तमैः: by the best men
• नरोत्तमैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; समास: नर + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; करण/कर्ता-समूह (by the best of men)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम; तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (ablatival adverbial): तस्मात् = ‘therefore/from that’

• गुप्तगया: Hidden Gayā (name of the place)
• गुप्तगया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gupta-gayā (प्रातिपदिक; समास: गुप्त + गया)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रोक्ता: is declared/called
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (called/declared)

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (this)

• सा: that (very one)
• सा: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (that/she)

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आत्मनः-प्रयोग (indeed personally/by oneself)

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptagayā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A revelation-like moment: Viṣṇu (or a divine voice) proclaims the Prabhāsa site as ‘Guptagayā’; pilgrims perform śrāddha on the riverbank, while a faint vision of Gayā overlays the landscape, signaling equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Guptagayā
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain tīrthas mirror the merit of renowned pilgrimage centers; recognizing them expands sacred geography and makes dharma accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goṣpada Tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, explicitly identified as Guptagayā (Hidden Gayā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha here in a manner comparable to Gayā, as an efficacious pitṛ rite.