Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रं तु सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasraṃ tu satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrāddhi satyameva viśiṣyate

Translation

“सहस्र अश्वमेध यज्ञ आणि सत्य यांना तराजूत तोलले; खरे तर सहस्र अश्वमेधांपेक्षा सत्यच अधिक श्रेष्ठ ठरते.”

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices
• अश्वमेधसहस्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• तुलया: by a balance/scale
• तुलया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• धृतम्: were held/weighed
• धृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (held/weighed)

• अश्वमेधसहस्रात्: than a thousand Aśvamedhas
• अश्वमेधसहस्रात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• विशिष्यते: is superior/excels
• विशिष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-शिष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Kapilā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic balance scale: on one side a thousand horse-sacrifices represented by ritual fires, horses, and priests; on the other side a radiant ‘Satya’ presence outweighs them.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Satya (Truth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner integrity (satya) is valued above even the grandest external ritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is a universal dharma valuation presented within Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aśvamedha is referenced as a benchmark of merit, but the verse prescribes truthfulness as superior.