Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

षट्पञ्चाशदश्वमेधान्गंगामनु चकार यः । यस्त्रिंशद्यमुनाप्रान्ते भरतो लोकपूजितः

Transliteration

ṣaṭpañcāśadaśvamedhāngaṃgāmanu cakāra yaḥ | yastriṃśadyamunāprānte bharato lokapūjitaḥ

Translation

Bharata, von der Welt verehrt, vollzog sechsundfünfzig Aśvamedha-Opfer entlang der Gaṅgā und dreißig an den Ufern der Yamunā.

Word by Word

• षट्पञ्चाशत्: fifty-six
• षट्पञ्चाशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् + पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-समासः; अव्ययवत् (numeral) ‘56’

• अश्वमेधान्: horse-sacrifices (aśvamedhas)
• अश्वमेधान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• गङ्गाम्: the Ganga
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनु: along/after
• अनु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/अव्यय—‘along/after’ (here as preverb-like with चकार)

• चकार: performed/did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (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 (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्धः

• त्रिंशत्: thirty
• त्रिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याशब्दः; अव्ययवत् ‘30’ (qualifying implied object/extent)

• यमुनाप्रान्ते: on the bank/edge of the Yamuna
• यमुनाप्रान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना + प्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—यमुनायाः प्रान्तः

• भरतः: Bharata
• भरतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोकपूजितः: worshipped by the people
• लोकपूजितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक + पूजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; पूज् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः—लोकैः पूजितः (worshipped by people)

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bharateśvara (contextual culmination; verse itself cites Gaṅgā/Yamunā yajña-sthalas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal Bharata performing successive aśvamedhas on luminous riverbanks—Gaṅgā and Yamunā—priests chanting, sacrificial horse with banners, rivers personified witnessing the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous sovereignty is portrayed as service through great yajñas, tying royal duty to cosmic order and sanctified river landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sacred river corridors of Gaṅgā and Yamunā are highlighted as ritual-geographies where major sacrifices were performed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aśvamedha yajña is mentioned, including counts and the sacred settings (Gaṅgā and Yamunā banks).