Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततो गायत्रिपूतं यद्द्विजास्तोयं क्षिपंति च । तेन दह्यंति ते पापाः संध्योपासनतः सदा

Transliteration

tato gāyatripūtaṃ yaddvijāstoyaṃ kṣipaṃti ca | tena dahyaṃti te pāpāḥ saṃdhyopāsanataḥ sadā

Translation

ତାପରେ ଦ୍ୱିଜମାନେ ଗାୟତ୍ରୀଦ୍ୱାରା ପବିତ୍ର କରି ଯେ ଜଳ ଛାଡ଼ନ୍ତି, ସେହି ଜଳରେ ପାପୀମାନେ ଦଗ୍ଧ ହୁଅନ୍ତି; ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟୋପାସନା ନିତ୍ୟ କରିବାରୁ ସେମାନେ ସଦା ତପ୍ତ ରହନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'thereafter/then'

• gāyatripūtam: purified by the Gāyatrī
• gāyatripūtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gāyatrī + pūta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; 'गायत्र्या पूतम्' इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं यत्-शब्दः

• dvijāḥ: the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• toyām: water
• toyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• kṣipanti: they throw/cast
• kṣipanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात)

• tena: by that/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• dahyanti: are burnt
• dahyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भावार्थे 'are burnt'

• te: those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• pāpāḥ: sins/evils
• pāpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• saṃdhyopāsanataḥ: from (the act of) sandhyā worship
• saṃdhyopāsanataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃdhyā + upāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष-आधारित तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय: 'संध्योपासनात्' = from/through the practice of sandhyā-worship

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A twice-born worshipper at riverbank at twilight, holding kuśa and water-vessel, offering arghya; the water, luminous with Gāyatrī, becomes a fiery stream that scorches embodied sins depicted as dark shadow-forms retreating.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Dvitīyajanma (dvija)
• Sūrya (context)
• Māndehā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily discipline (sandhyā) empowered by mantra (Gāyatrī) is depicted as a real spiritual force that destroys inner and outer negativity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the merit is tied to the universal rite of sandhyā and arghya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering/casting water sanctified by Gāyatrī during sandhyā (arghya), as part of regular twilight worship.