Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

दक्षिणा राजसूयस्य येन त्रिभुवनं कृता । तपस्तताप योत्युग्रं पद्मानां दशतीर्दश

Transliteration

dakṣiṇā rājasūyasya yena tribhuvanaṃ kṛtā | tapastatāpa yotyugraṃ padmānāṃ daśatīrdaśa

Translation

Er ist es, durch den die dakṣiṇā des Rājasūya die drei Welten umspannte; er, der überaus strengen Tapas übte, zehnmal zehn Tausend Lotos-Zyklen lang, über eine unermessliche Zeit.

Word by Word

• दक्षिणा: gift/fee (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• राजसूयस्य: of the Rājasūya sacrifice
• राजसूयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसूय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समासः राजन् + सूय (राजसूय)

• येन: by whom/with which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• त्रिभुवनम्: the three worlds
• त्रिभुवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिभुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः त्रि + भुवन

• कृता: made/produced
• कृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (दक्षिणा) इत्यस्य विशेषणवत्

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• तताप: performed/undertook (austerity)
• तताप: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• अत्युग्रम्: exceedingly fierce
• अत्युग्रम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः अति + उग्र

• पद्मानाम्: of lotuses
• पद्मानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दशतीः: tens (groups of ten)
• दशतीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; (दशतीः) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues, commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical) / in-text interlocutors of Kāśī-khaṇḍa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand Rājasūya scene with heaps of dakṣiṇā symbolically reaching the three worlds, juxtaposed with an ascetic in fierce tapas amid lotus-cycles of time (kalpa imagery).

Characters & Entities

• Rājasūya
• Tribhuvana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True greatness is measured by dharmic giving (dakṣiṇā) and sustained tapas, not mere status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s larger Kāśī-māhātmya frame, though this line itself praises a figure’s cosmic merit rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It alludes to the Rājasūya sacrifice and its dakṣiṇā (mandatory ritual gifting), highlighting charity as integral to yajña.