Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

दशाश्वमेधे यत्पुण्यं संक्षेपेण युधिष्ठिर । कथितं परया भक्त्या सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्

Transliteration

daśāśvamedhe yatpuṇyaṃ saṃkṣepeṇa yudhiṣṭhira | kathitaṃ parayā bhaktyā sarvapāpapraṇāśanam

Translation

ഹേ യുധിഷ്ഠിരാ, പത്ത് അശ്വമേധയാഗങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുള്ള പുണ്യം ഇവിടെ പരമഭക്തിയോടെ സംക്ഷേപമായി പ്രസ്താവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; അത് സർവപാപനാശകമാണ്।

Word by Word

• दशाश्वमेधे: in the ten Aśvamedha (rite)
• दशाश्वमेधे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश + अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative) विशेषण (qualifying पुण्यम्)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• संक्षेपेण: briefly, in summary
• संक्षेपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणत्वे (as means/manner: 'briefly')

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (predicate: 'has been told')

• परया: supreme, intense
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying भक्त्या)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + प्रणाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषां पापानां प्रणाशनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying कथितम्/पुण्यम् as predicate adjective)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate continuation into Adhyāya 181 where he speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Mārkaṇḍeya) instructs Yudhiṣṭhira; behind them a sacred ghāṭa/altar motif symbolizing Daśāśvamedha; a scroll-like aura indicating ‘saṃkṣepa’ teaching that burns sins.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion (bhakti) and hearing sacred teaching can yield transformative merit, portrayed as equal to great Vedic sacrifices and capable of destroying sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a phalaśruti within the Revā Khaṇḍa context; the immediate next chapter turns to Bhṛgutīrtha, indicating the tīrtha-glory being introduced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription is given here; it references the fruit (puṇya) comparable to ten Aśvamedhas and emphasizes ‘supreme devotion’ as the mode.