Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रैस्तु कृतैस्तु भूरिदक्षिणैः । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति श्रोता श्रावयिता नरः

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasraistu kṛtaistu bhūridakṣiṇaiḥ | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti śrotā śrāvayitā naraḥ

Translation

L’auditeur—et celui qui en fait faire la récitation—obtient ce même fruit, comme si mille sacrifices Aśvamedha avaient été accomplis avec d’abondantes dakṣiṇā aux prêtres.

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधसहस्रैः: by thousands of Aśvamedha (sacrifices)
• अश्वमेधसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), बहुवचन (plural); (अश्वमेधानां सहस्रैः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• कृतैः: performed
• कृतैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• भूरिदक्षिणैः: with abundant fees/gifts
• भूरिदक्षिणैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूरि + दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण; (भूरयः दक्षिणाः यस्य)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• समवाप्नोति: attains fully
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); उपसर्ग: सम् + अव

• श्रोता: the listener
• श्रोता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्रावयिता: the one who makes (others) listen; reciter
• श्रावयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deva-majjānaka (māhātmya-śravaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa/bhūpati) and by extension future audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A public recitation scene: a reciter (paurāṇika) reads the māhātmya to gathered listeners; a patron offers dakṣiṇā, symbolically equating the act to a thousand Aśvamedhas.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and promoting sacred narration is elevated as a powerful dharmic act, comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Deva-majjānaka/Dharmāraṇya māhātmya context, though no new site-name appears here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) and śrāvaṇa (sponsoring/arranging recitation) are praised as yielding great sacrificial merit.