Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

स तत्प्राप्य महाराज्यं सोमः सोमवतां वरः । राजसूयं समाजह्रे सहस्रशतदक्षिणम्

Transliteration

sa tatprāpya mahārājyaṃ somaḥ somavatāṃ varaḥ | rājasūyaṃ samājahre sahasraśatadakṣiṇam

Translation

So erlangte Soma eine große Herrschaft; Soma, der Beste unter den vom Soma-Glanz Begabten, vollzog das Rājasūya-Opfer und gab als dakṣiṇā hunderttausend an priesterlichen Gaben.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम, विशेषणवत् (as determiner)

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• महाराज्यम्: great kingdom
• महाराज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राज्य (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• सोमः: Soma
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सोमवताम्: of the Soma-possessors / of those having Soma
• सोमवताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समूह/जन), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive)

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध (appositional)

• राजसूयम्: the Rājasūya sacrifice
• राजसूयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज + सूय (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; यज्ञविशेष (name of sacrifice)

• समाजह्रे: performed / carried out
• समाजह्रे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-हृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सहस्रशतदक्षिणम्: with a thousand-hundred as fee (i.e., very large dakṣiṇā)
• सहस्रशतदक्षिणम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + शत + दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying rājasūyam)

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A dvija interlocutor (addressed as ‘भो द्विज’ in adjacent verse context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand Rājasūya: Soma enthroned as cakravartin, a vast vedi with blazing āhavanīya fire, priests receiving heaps of gold/cows, banners and conches, sages seated in orderly sabhā.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Rājasūya
• dakṣiṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True sovereignty is sanctified by dharma—especially yajña and generous dakṣiṇā—rather than by power alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, implying the sanctifying field of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where rites gain heightened merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of the Rājasūya yajña accompanied by substantial dakṣiṇā (charitable sacrificial gifts).