Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

दशाश्वमेधिकं तीर्थं तथा सत्यं द्विजोत्तम । यदि वेदपुराणोक्तं वाक्यं निःसंशयं भवेत्

Transliteration

daśāśvamedhikaṃ tīrthaṃ tathā satyaṃ dvijottama | yadi vedapurāṇoktaṃ vākyaṃ niḥsaṃśayaṃ bhavet

Translation

Ô le plus excellent des brāhmanes, c’est vérité : voici le tīrtha nommé Daśāśvamedhika, égal à dix sacrifices Aśvamedha, si l’on tient pour indubitables les paroles énoncées dans les Veda et les Purāṇa.

Word by Word

• daśāśvamedhikam: equivalent to ten Aśvamedha sacrifices
• daśāśvamedhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa-aśvamedhika (प्रातिपदिक; दश + अश्वमेधिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• tīrtham: sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• tathā: also; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha/Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ (indeclinable; 'also/likewise')

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Predicate-nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• dvijottama: O best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• dvijottama: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Avyaya (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक अव्यय (indeclinable; conditional 'if')

• vedapurāṇoktam: stated in the Vedas and Purāṇas
• vedapurāṇoktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda-purāṇa-ukta (प्रातिपदिक; वेद + पुराण + उक्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त 'उक्त'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (past passive participle; Neuter Nom/Acc Singular; adjective)

• vākyam: statement; sentence
• vākyam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• niḥsaṃśayam: without doubt; certainly
• niḥsaṃśayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥ-saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक; निः + संशय)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (Neuter Nom/Acc Singular; used adverbially)

• bhavet: would be; may be
• bhavet: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedhika-tīrtha (as named in the verse)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijoत्तम (best of brāhmaṇas) addressed within the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred riverbank tīrtha is praised as ‘Daśāśvamedhika’; a learned brāhmaṇa is addressed, and the air carries the authority of Veda and Purāṇa as if inscribed in the sky above the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Daśāśvamedhika Tīrtha
• Aśvamedha
• Veda
• Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography can confer yajña-equivalent merit; faith in Veda-Purāṇa testimony anchors the tīrtha’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘Daśāśvamedhika’ tīrtha—renowned as granting the fruit of ten Aśvamedha sacrifices (within the Revā Khaṇḍa milieu).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The merit-comparison to Aśvamedha is stated; the exact tīrtha practices (snāna, dāna, japa) are not detailed in this verse.