Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रं तु राजसूयशतं कलौ । पदेपदे च लभते द्वारकां याति यो नरः

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasraṃ tu rājasūyaśataṃ kalau | padepade ca labhate dvārakāṃ yāti yo naraḥ

Translation

কলিযুগত যি নৰ দ্বাৰকাত গমন কৰে, সি পদে পদে সহস্ৰ অশ্বমেধ যজ্ঞ আৰু শত ৰাজসূয় ক্ৰিয়াৰ সমান পুণ্য লাভ কৰে।

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices
• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधानां सहस्रम्)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• राजसूयशतम्: a hundred Rājasūya sacrifices
• राजसूयशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसूय (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राजसूयानां शतम्)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पदे: at (each) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे पुनरुक्ति (pade pade)

• पदे: at every step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• द्वारकाम्: Dvārakā
• द्वारकाम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya discourse style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King/royal interlocutor (implied by rājā-oriented comparisons)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim strides toward Dvārakā; with each footprint, luminous sacrificial fires and royal yajña symbols (horse of Aśvamedha, Rājasūya throne) appear as subtle halos, indicating ‘step-by-step’ merit in Kali-yuga.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kali-yuga
• Aśvamedha
• Rājasūya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, tīrtha-yātrā to Dvārakā is presented as a powerful, accessible equivalent to grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as a pilgrimage whose every step yields extraordinary sacrificial merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage on foot (implied by ‘at every step’) to Dvārakā; no separate sacrifice is required to gain the stated fruit.