Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

गायत्री वेदजननी गायत्री ब्राह्मणप्रसूः । गातारं त्रायते यस्माद्गायत्री तेन गीयते

Transliteration

gāyatrī vedajananī gāyatrī brāhmaṇaprasūḥ | gātāraṃ trāyate yasmādgāyatrī tena gīyate

Translation

گایتری ویدوں کی ماں ہے؛ گایتری برہمنوں کی جننی ہے۔ چونکہ وہ گاتا (جاپ کرنے والے) کی حفاظت کرتی ہے، اسی لیے وہ ‘گایتری’ کہلاتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• gāyatrī: Gāyatrī
• gāyatrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (गायत्री; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• veda-jananī: mother of the Veda(s)
• veda-jananī: Samānādhikaraṇa (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda-jananī (वेद + जननी; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य जननी)

• gāyatrī: Gāyatrī
• gāyatrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (गायत्री; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇa-prasūḥ: progenitress of brahmins
• brāhmaṇa-prasūḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa-prasū (ब्राह्मण + प्रसू; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणानां प्रसूः = producer/mother of brahmins)

• gātāram: the singer/chanter
• gātāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gātṛ (गातृ; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• trāyate: protects/saves
• trāyate: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √trā (त्रा; धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• yasmāt: because/from which
• yasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (cause/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; relative pronoun 'from which/because'

• gāyatrī: Gāyatrī
• gāyatrī: Karta (Subject/standard)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatrī (गायत्री; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tena: therefore/for that reason
• tena: Hetu (reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; 'therefore/by that reason'

• gīyate: is sung/is called
• gīyate: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gai (गै; धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'is sung/called'

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gāyatrī as a radiant mother-figure emanating three streams representing Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman; from her light arise disciplined students (brahmacārins) holding kuśa and manuscripts. A protective aura encircles a reciter, illustrating ‘trāyate’.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Veda
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra is a living refuge: Gāyatrī safeguards the practitioner and is revered as the generative source of Vedic wisdom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa context frames this teaching, aligning Kāśī with Vedic recitation, mantra, and spiritual protection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied prescription: recitation/japa of Gāyatrī, emphasizing its protective efficacy for the chanter.