Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

दशाश्वमेधावभृथैर्यत्फलं सम्यगाप्यते । दशाश्वमेधे तन्नूनं स्नात्वा दशहरा तिथौ

Transliteration

daśāśvamedhāvabhṛthairyatphalaṃ samyagāpyate | daśāśvamedhe tannūnaṃ snātvā daśaharā tithau

Translation

Whatever fruit is perfectly obtained by the concluding bath (avabhṛtha) of ten Aśvamedha sacrifices—that very fruit is surely gained by bathing at Daśāśvamedha on the Daśaharā tithi.

Word by Word

• दशाश्वमेधावभृथैः: by the concluding baths of the ten Aśvamedhas
• दशाश्वमेधावभृथैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-अश्वमेध-अवभृथ (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: दश + अश्वमेध + अवभृथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दशाश्वमेधस्य अवभृथः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम, विशेषणम् (फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly/fully
• सम्यक्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• आप्यते: is obtained
• आप्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• दशाश्वमेधे: in/at (the shrine of) the ten Aśvamedhas
• दशाश्वमेधे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: दश + अश्वमेध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-समासभावः (दश अश्वमेधाः)

• तत्: that (same)
• तत्: Anuvritti (Resumptive/अनुवृत्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अन्वयः: तत् (फलम्)

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of certainty)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• दशहरा: Daśaharā
• दशहरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशहरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (तिथेः विशेषणम्)

• तिथौ: on the lunar day
• तिथौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic juxtaposition: grand Aśvamedha avabhṛtha procession fading into a simple Kāśī ghāṭ bath; the river carries the same luminous merit, showing ‘yajña condensed into snāna’.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Avabhṛtha
• Daśāśvamedha
• Daśaharā
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic tīrtha is elevated as an accessible path: a simple bath in Kāśī can equal the merit of vast Vedic sacrificial undertakings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedha tīrtha in Kāśī, especially on Daśaharā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Daśāśvamedha tīrtha on Daśaharā tithi.