Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रं तु राजसूयशतं कलौ । पदेपदे च लभते द्वारकां याति यो नरः

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasraṃ tu rājasūyaśataṃ kalau | padepade ca labhate dvārakāṃ yāti yo naraḥ

Translation

കലിയുഗത്തിൽ ദ്വാരകയിലേക്കു പോകുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ ഓരോ പടിയിലും സഹസ്ര അശ്വമേധവും ശത രാജസൂയവും ചെയ്ത പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices
• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधानां सहस्रम्)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• राजसूयशतम्: a hundred Rājasūya sacrifices
• राजसूयशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसूय (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राजसूयानां शतम्)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पदे: at (each) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे पुनरुक्ति (pade pade)

• पदे: at every step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• द्वारकाम्: Dvārakā
• द्वारकाम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya discourse style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King/royal interlocutor (implied by rājā-oriented comparisons)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim strides toward Dvārakā; with each footprint, luminous sacrificial fires and royal yajña symbols (horse of Aśvamedha, Rājasūya throne) appear as subtle halos, indicating ‘step-by-step’ merit in Kali-yuga.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kali-yuga
• Aśvamedha
• Rājasūya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, tīrtha-yātrā to Dvārakā is presented as a powerful, accessible equivalent to grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as a pilgrimage whose every step yields extraordinary sacrificial merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage on foot (implied by ‘at every step’) to Dvārakā; no separate sacrifice is required to gain the stated fruit.