Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

तिथिं दशहरां प्राप्य दशजन्माघहारिणीम् । दशाश्वमेधिके स्नातो यामीं पश्येन्न यातनाम्

Transliteration

tithiṃ daśaharāṃ prāpya daśajanmāghahāriṇīm | daśāśvamedhike snāto yāmīṃ paśyenna yātanām

Translation

പത്തു ജന്മങ്ങളുടെ പാപം ഹരിക്കുന്ന ദശഹരാ തിഥി പ്രാപിച്ച് ദശാശ്വമേധികയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്തവൻ യമന്റെ യാതനകൾ കാണുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• तिथिम्: a tithi (lunar day)
• तिथिम्: Karma (Object of ‘prāpya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दशहराम्: the ‘ten-removing’ (tithi)
• दशहराम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तिथिम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश + हरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (दशानां हरति इति/दश-हर) — ‘removing ten’

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), धातु: आप्; उपसर्गः प्र-; ‘having obtained’

• दशजन्माघहारिणीम्: removing the sins of ten births
• दशजन्माघहारिणीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तिथिम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश + जन्म + अघ + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः— ‘दशजन्मनां अघं हरति’ इति; ‘हारिणी’ = हृ (धातु) + णिनि (agent fem.)

• दशाश्वमेधिके: at Daśāśvamedhika
• दशाश्वमेधिके: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशाश्वमेधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्नातः: (one) having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent; implied ‘he who has bathed’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अर्थः ‘having bathed / bathed’

• यामीम्: Yama’s
• यामीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of यातनाम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यामी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘याम्या’ = यमसम्बन्धिनी (pertaining to Yama)

• पश्येत्: would see
• पश्येत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘would/should see’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• यातनाम्: torment / punishment
• यातनाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedhikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daśaharā festival at Daśāśvamedha: crowded ghāṭ, banners, priests, mass dawn snāna; a symbolic Yama figure fades into the background as light and Gaṅgā radiance dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaharā
• Daśāśvamedhika
• Yama
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daśaharā is exalted as a karmic turning-point: sacred bathing in Kāśī is said to protect one from post-mortem suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedhika tīrtha in Kāśī, especially on Daśaharā tithi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Daśāśvamedhika specifically on Daśaharā tithi.