Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

दीक्षितेन जपः कार्यो लक्षगायत्रिसंभवः । शेषैर्विप्रैर्यथा वित्तं तथा कार्यो जपोऽखिलः

Transliteration

dīkṣitena japaḥ kāryo lakṣagāyatrisaṃbhavaḥ | śeṣairviprairyathā vittaṃ tathā kāryo japo'khilaḥ

Translation

ผู้ที่ได้รับทีกษาแล้ว พึงกระทำชปะสวดภาวนาคาถาคายตรีให้ครบหนึ่งแสนครั้ง ส่วนพราหมณ์ที่เหลือ พึงกระทำชปะให้ครบถ้วนตามทรัพย์และกำลังของตน

Word by Word

• दीक्षितेन: by the initiated (person)
• दीक्षितेन: Karana (Agent/instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षित (प्रातिपदिक; √दिक्ष्/√दिक्ष्? from √दिक्ष् ‘to consecrate’ + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, एकवचनम्; (दीक्षितः = initiated person)

• जपः: recitation (japa)
• जपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• कार्यः: to be done/should be performed
• कार्यः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तव्यतार्थे यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (gerundive); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘जपः’ विशेषणम्

• लक्षगायत्रिसंभवः: consisting of a lakh (of) Gāyatrī (recitations)
• लक्षगायत्रिसंभवः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष + गायत्री + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; समासः (लक्षसंख्यक-गायत्री-जप-सम्भवः इत्यर्थः) ‘जपः’ विशेषणम्

• शेषैः: by the remaining (others)
• शेषैः: Karana (Agent/instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• विप्रैः: by the brāhmaṇas
• विप्रैः: Karana (Agent/instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, बहुवचनम्

• यथा: as/according to
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (as/according to)

• वित्तम्: wealth
• वित्तम्: Sambandha (Measure/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; (अत्र ‘यथा वित्तम्’ = according to wealth)

• तथा: accordingly
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनुरूप्ये (accordingly)

• कार्यः: to be done
• कार्यः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तव्यतार्थे यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (gerundive); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘जपः’ विशेषणम्

• जपः: recitation
• जपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• अखिलः: entire/complete
• अखिलः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified (instructional voice in the Nāgara-khaṇḍa narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An initiated practitioner sits on kuśa grass facing east, counting Gāyatrī on a mālā; nearby brāhmaṇas and assistants maintain quiet order, preparing water and offerings, each taking on japa according to capacity.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement and inner purification are completed through disciplined mantra-practice, scaled to one’s eligibility and capacity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is a tīrtha-māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa; no named location is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Lakṣa (100,000) Gāyatrī-japa for the initiated; others perform japa according to means.