Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यत्र गत्वा महाराज स्नात्वा सम्पूज्य चेश्वरम् । दशानामश्वमेधानां फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

yatra gatvā mahārāja snātvā sampūjya ceśvaram | daśānāmaśvamedhānāṃ phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

O großer König, wer dorthin gelangt, sich badet und den Herrn in rechter Weise verehrt, erlangt die Frucht von zehn Aśvamedha-Opfern.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb) — 'where'

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), √गम्; अव्ययभाव (indeclinable participle)

• mahārāja: O great king
• mahārāja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Vocative singular); कर्मधारय: 'great king'

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), √स्ना

• sampūjya: having duly worshipped
• sampūjya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), √पूज् with उपसर्ग सम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• īśvaram: the Lord (Śiva)
• īśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• daśānām: of ten
• daśānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (सर्वलिङ्ग), षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural); संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• aśvamedhānām: of Aśvamedha sacrifices
• aśvamedhānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √आप् with उपसर्ग प्र-

• mānavaḥ: a human
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja Mahīpāla

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims descend stone steps into the river at Daśāśvamedhika; after bathing, they offer flowers and water to a nearby Śiva-liṅga shrine, with the sage’s words hovering as a blessing.

Characters & Entities

• Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha
• Īśvara
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple, accessible acts—tīrtha-bathing and sincere worship—can confer merits equated with grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha referenced in the chapter’s opening.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the tīrtha and sampūjā (proper worship) of Īśvara.