Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

तिथिं दशहरां प्राप्य दशजन्माघहारिणीम् । दशाश्वमेधिके स्नातो यामीं पश्येन्न यातनाम्

Transliteration

tithiṃ daśaharāṃ prāpya daśajanmāghahāriṇīm | daśāśvamedhike snāto yāmīṃ paśyenna yātanām

Translation

Al llegar al tithi de Daśaharā, que borra los pecados de diez nacimientos, quien se baña en Daśāśvamedhika no contemplará los tormentos de Yama.

Word by Word

• तिथिम्: a tithi (lunar day)
• तिथिम्: Karma (Object of ‘prāpya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दशहराम्: the ‘ten-removing’ (tithi)
• दशहराम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तिथिम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश + हरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (दशानां हरति इति/दश-हर) — ‘removing ten’

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), धातु: आप्; उपसर्गः प्र-; ‘having obtained’

• दशजन्माघहारिणीम्: removing the sins of ten births
• दशजन्माघहारिणीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तिथिम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश + जन्म + अघ + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः— ‘दशजन्मनां अघं हरति’ इति; ‘हारिणी’ = हृ (धातु) + णिनि (agent fem.)

• दशाश्वमेधिके: at Daśāśvamedhika
• दशाश्वमेधिके: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशाश्वमेधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्नातः: (one) having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent; implied ‘he who has bathed’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अर्थः ‘having bathed / bathed’

• यामीम्: Yama’s
• यामीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of यातनाम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यामी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘याम्या’ = यमसम्बन्धिनी (pertaining to Yama)

• पश्येत्: would see
• पश्येत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘would/should see’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• यातनाम्: torment / punishment
• यातनाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedhikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daśaharā festival at Daśāśvamedha: crowded ghāṭ, banners, priests, mass dawn snāna; a symbolic Yama figure fades into the background as light and Gaṅgā radiance dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaharā
• Daśāśvamedhika
• Yama
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daśaharā is exalted as a karmic turning-point: sacred bathing in Kāśī is said to protect one from post-mortem suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedhika tīrtha in Kāśī, especially on Daśaharā tithi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Daśāśvamedhika specifically on Daśaharā tithi.