Shloka 19
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
अरुंधती यथा स्त्रीणां शस्त्राणां कुलिशं यथा । अकारः सर्ववर्णानां गायत्री छंदसां यथा ॥ १९ ॥
aruṃdhatī yathā strīṇāṃ śastrāṇāṃ kuliśaṃ yathā | akāraḥ sarvavarṇānāṃ gāyatrī chaṃdasāṃ yathā || 19 ||
ดุจอรุนธตีเป็นยอดแห่งสตรีทั้งหลาย และกุลิศะ (วัชระ) เป็นยอดแห่งศัสตรา; ดุจอักษร ‘อะ’ เป็นประธานแห่งพยัญชนะทั้งปวง และคายตรีเป็นยอดแห่งฉันท์เวท; ฉันใด ตัตตวะอันสูงสุดนั้นก็เป็นยอดยิ่ง ฉันนั้น
Narada (as narrator/teacher within the Uttara-Bhaga discourse)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"Reverent calm with a rising sense of marvel as the verse moves from ethical exemplars (Arundhatī) to cosmic power (vajra) to sacred sound (A-kāra, Gāyatrī)."}
FAQs
The verse teaches a hierarchy of excellence through well-known exemplars: as certain ideals are ‘foremost’ in their domains, so the foundational sound ‘A’ and the Gāyatrī metre are presented as primary supports for Vedic speech and sacred recitation.
By highlighting Gāyatrī as foremost among metres, the verse implicitly elevates disciplined mantra-recitation and reverent Vedic chanting—core devotional practices that purify the mind and steady devotion toward the Divine.
It points to Vedāṅga Chandas (Vedic metre) via ‘Gāyatrī’ and to Śikṣā/phonetics via the primacy of ‘akāra’, emphasizing correct sound, metre, and recitation as practical foundations of Vedic study and ritual.