Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

कलौ न दृश्या भवति प्रधानं यद्गयाशिरः । वैशाखे मासि सम्प्राप्तेऽमावास्यां नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

kalau na dṛśyā bhavati pradhānaṃ yadgayāśiraḥ | vaiśākhe māsi samprāpte'māvāsyāṃ nṛpottama

Translation

اے بہترین بادشاہ! کلی یُگ میں وہ برتر نشان، جسے گیاشِرس کہا جاتا ہے، عموماً نظر نہیں آتا؛ مگر جب ویشاکھ کے مہینے کی اماوسیا آتی ہے تو وہ ظاہر ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'कलौ (युगे)'

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation)

• दृश्या: visible
• दृश्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; 'दृश्य' = visible (agreeing with implied/understood स्त्रीलिङ्ग subject, e.g., शिला/गया-शिरः-सम्बद्धा)

• भवति: is/becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• प्रधानम्: principal, foremost
• प्रधानम्: Karma/Predicative (Complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• गयाशिरः: Gayā-śiras (the head/peak of Gayā)
• गयाशिरः: Apposition/Viśeṣya (Core noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'गयायाः शिरः' (the head/peak of Gayā)

• वैशाखे: in (the month of) Vaiśākha
• वैशाखे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशाख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मास-नाम

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सम्प्राप्ते: when (it has) arrived
• सम्प्राप्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• अमावास्याम्: on the new-moon day
• अमावास्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—'उत्तमो नृपः'

Speaker

Tīrtha-māhātmya narrator (contextual; likely a sage addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayāśiras (manifesting at the Revā-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A normally hidden sacred sign called Gayāśiras suddenly becomes visible on the dark-moon night of Vaiśākha; pilgrims and priests gather with lamps, preparing for ancestral rites.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Vaiśākha
• Amāvāsyā
• Gayāśiras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain tīrthas reveal their special potency at specific sacred times; aligning rites with Vaiśākha Amāvāsyā intensifies merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayāśiras—presented as a foremost sacred mark/tīrtha associated with the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Timing guidance: the new-moon day (Amāvāsyā) in Vaiśākha is highlighted as the key occasion when the site becomes manifest for observance.