Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

त्रिवर्णमयमोंकारं भूर्भुवःस्वरिति त्रयम् । पादत्रयं च सावित्र्यास्त्रयोवेदा अदूदुहन्

Transliteration

trivarṇamayamoṃkāraṃ bhūrbhuvaḥsvariti trayam | pādatrayaṃ ca sāvitryāstrayovedā adūduhan

Translation

พระเวททั้งสามได้ ‘รีดน้ำนม’ ออกมาเป็น โอมการะสามพยางค์ ตรีบท ‘ภูรฺ ภุวะห์ สวะห์’ และสามบาทแห่งสาวิตรี (คายตรี)

Word by Word

• त्रिवर्णमयम्: consisting of three syllables
• त्रिवर्णमयम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘ओंकारम्’): ‘त्रिभिः वर्णैः मयम्’

• ओंकारम्: the syllable Oṃ (Oṃkāra)
• ओंकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूः: bhūḥ
• भूः: Karma (Quoted element/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूः (प्रातिपदिक/व्याहृति)
• Form: अव्यय; व्याहृति-रूप (sacred utterance)

• भुवः: bhuvaḥ
• भुवः: Karma (Quoted element/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भुवः (प्रातिपदिक/व्याहृति)
• Form: अव्यय; व्याहृति-रूप

• स्वः: svaḥ
• स्वः: Karma (Quoted element/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वः (प्रातिपदिक/व्याहृति)
• Form: अव्यय; व्याहृति-रूप

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-प्रयोग (quotative)

• त्रयम्: the triad (three)
• त्रयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पादत्रयम्: the three pādas (three parts)
• पादत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सावित्र्याः: of Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī)
• सावित्र्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (of ‘वेदाः’)

• वेदाः: Vedas
• वेदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अदूदुहन्: milked out/drew forth
• अदूदुहन्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दुह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three Vedas personified as sages/cows being ‘milked’ into a golden vessel that becomes Oṃ, then three luminous streams labeled bhūr-bhuvaḥ-svaḥ, then three petals forming Gāyatrī’s three pādas.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• Bhūr
• Bhuvaḥ
• Svaḥ
• Sāvitrī
• Gāyatrī
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ, the vyāhṛtis, and Gāyatrī are portrayed as the distilled essence of Vedic wisdom—core supports for dharma and realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context ties the teaching to Kāśī’s sanctity, while the verse itself expounds mantra origins rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No numeric vow is given here; it identifies the canonical components used in Vedic/sandhyā practice: Oṃ, bhūr-bhuvaḥ-svaḥ, and Sāvitrī’s three pādas.