Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

स नरो धनुषःकोटौ स्नायात्त त्फलसिद्धये । अश्वमेधक्रतुं कर्तुं शक्तिर्यस्य न विद्यते

Transliteration

sa naro dhanuṣaḥkoṭau snāyātta tphalasiddhaye | aśvamedhakratuṃ kartuṃ śaktiryasya na vidyate

Translation

Qu’il se baigne à Dhanuṣkoṭi afin d’obtenir le fruit et la siddhi des grands yajñas, surtout celui qui n’a pas la capacité d’accomplir le rite de l’Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• सः: he, that (man)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; संकेत/अन्वय (that/he)

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• धनुषः-कोटौ: at Dhanuṣ-koṭi (Bow’s End)
• धनुषः-कोटौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative singular; ‘at the tip/end of the bow’ (place)

• स्नायात्: should bathe
• स्नायात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person singular; ‘should bathe’

• तत्-फल-सिद्धये: for the attainment of that result
• तत्-फल-सिद्धये: Sampradana (Recipient/Goal/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Dative singular; प्रयोजन (for the sake of)

• अश्वमेध-क्रतुम्: the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेध-क्रतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• कर्तुम्: to perform
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (infinitive) — infinitive ‘to do/perform’

• शक्तिः: ability, power
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• यस्य: of whom, whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive singular; सम्बन्ध (of whom)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada); ‘exists/is found’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhanuskoṭi

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the wind-swept tip of land (Dhanuskoṭi), a pilgrim bathes where sea and sky meet; above, symbolic imagery of an Aśvamedha altar fades into the ocean mist, implying equivalence of fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanuskoṭi
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha can confer the merit of great sacrifices, making high spiritual benefit accessible beyond royal or wealthy means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhanuskoṭi in the Setukhaṇḍa (Setu region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Dhanuskoṭi as a means to attain the fruit associated with major yajñas like the Aśvamedha.