Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51
दुर्लभा सर्वमंत्रेषु गायत्री प्रणवान्विता । न गायत्र्याधिकं किंचित्त्रयीषु परिगीयते
durlabhā sarvamaṃtreṣu gāyatrī praṇavānvitā | na gāyatryādhikaṃ kiṃcittrayīṣu parigīyate
Entre todos os mantras, a Gāyatrī—unida ao Praṇava—é de fato rara. Nos três Vedas, nada é cantado como superior à Gāyatrī.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija (implied audience of Vedic practitioner)
Scene: A radiant syllable Oṃ crowns the Gāyatrī mantra as a luminous garland of syllables; three Vedas personified as sages sing her praise, while a pilgrim in Kāśī performs sandhyā at the river steps.
FAQs
The mantra’s power lies in its Vedic centrality: Gāyatrī, especially with Oṃ, is upheld as the foremost spiritual instrument.
Within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame, the praise supports Kāśī’s identity as a city of mantra, Veda, and liberation.
Gāyatrī-japa with Praṇava (Oṃ) is endorsed as the supreme mantra practice.