Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

दशाश्वमेधिकं प्राप्य सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम् । यत्किंचित्क्रियते कर्म तदक्षयमिहेरितम्

Transliteration

daśāśvamedhikaṃ prāpya sarvatīrthottamottamam | yatkiṃcitkriyate karma tadakṣayamiheritam

Translation

ദശാശ്വമേധം—സകല തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലെയും ഉത്തമോത്തമം—പ്രാപിച്ചാൽ, അവിടെ ചെയ്യുന്ന ഏതു കർമവും ഇതിന്റെ ഫലം അക്ഷയമാണെന്ന് ഇവിടെ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• दशाश्वमेधिकम्: (the place) related to Daśāśvamedha
• दशाश्वमेधिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशाश्वमेध + इक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तद्धित-प्रत्यय (इक) ‘दशाश्वमेध-सम्बन्धि’; विशेषणम्

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); अर्थः—‘प्राप्य’ (having attained)

• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: the best of the best among all tīrthas
• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ + उत्तम + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वेषां तीर्थानां उत्तमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + उत्तम (अतिशयार्थे पुनरुक्ति)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• किंचित्: anything (at all)
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थ (indefinite)

• क्रियते: is done
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• कर्म: act/rite
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अन्वय-निर्देशक (correlative)

• अक्षयम्: imperishable
• अक्षयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• इह: here
• इह: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• ईरितम्: is declared/said
• ईरितम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ईर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘उक्तम्/प्रोक्तम्’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims perform varied rites on Daśāśvamedha steps—bathing, offering lamps, giving alms—while a celestial ledger records ‘akṣaya’ merit as an unending stream of light rising upward.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Daśāśvamedha tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography matters: actions done at the highest tīrtha yield enduring, ‘imperishable’ merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedha tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Any dhārmic act (karma) performed there—ritual or devotion—is said to become akṣaya (imperishable).