Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50
ततोपि धर्मशास्त्राणि तेभ्यो गुर्वी श्रुतिर्द्विज । ततोप्युपनिषच्छ्रेष्ठा गायत्री च ततोधिका
tatopi dharmaśāstrāṇi tebhyo gurvī śrutirdvija | tatopyupaniṣacchreṣṭhā gāyatrī ca tatodhikā
ان سب سے بھی بلند دھرم شاستر ہیں؛ اور ان سے بھی زیادہ وزنی، اے دْوِج، شروتی ہے۔ اس سے بھی برتر اوپنشد ہیں—اور ان سے بھی اعلیٰ گایتری ہے۔
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija (addressed as ‘O twice-born’)
Scene: A learned dvija listens as a sage enumerates ascending tiers of sacred authority—Dharmaśāstra, Śruti, Upaniṣad—culminating in the radiant Gāyatrī as a luminous mantra-essence hovering above palm-leaf manuscripts, with Kāśī’s ghāṭas faintly behind.
FAQs
The Gāyatrī is portrayed as the concentrated essence of Vedic wisdom, making it the most efficacious support for dharma and liberation.
Kāśī’s spiritual culture is the implied setting: the city’s greatness is expressed through the supremacy of its mantra-centered dharma.
Implicitly supports Gāyatrī-japa and Sandhyā practice as the highest daily discipline.