Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

उदग्दशाश्वमेधान्मां प्रयागाख्यं च माधवम् । प्रयागतीर्थे सुस्नातो दृष्ट्वा पापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

udagdaśāśvamedhānmāṃ prayāgākhyaṃ ca mādhavam | prayāgatīrthe susnāto dṛṣṭvā pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

ਉੱਤਰ ਵੱਲ, ਦਸ਼ਾਸ਼ਵਮੇਧ ਤੋਂ ਪਰੇ, ਮੈਨੂੰ ‘ਪ੍ਰਯਾਗ’ ਨਾਮ ਵਾਲਾ ਮਾਧਵ ਜਾਣੋ। ਪ੍ਰਯਾਗ-ਤੀਰਥ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੰਗੀ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਅਤੇ ਫਿਰ ਮੇਰਾ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਪਾਪਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• उदक्: to the north
• उदक्: Adhikarana (Direction/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उदक् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: दिशावाचक अव्यय (directional indeclinable: northwards)

• दशाश्वमेधात्: from (the place called) Daśāśvamedha
• दशाश्वमेधात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; द्विगुः—दश अश्वमेधाः (Ablative singular)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रयागाख्यम्: called Prayāga
• प्रयागाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—प्रयाग इति आख्या यस्य (called Prayāga)

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

• माधवम्: Mādhava
• माधवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रयागतीर्थे: at the Prayāga tīrtha
• प्रयागतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—प्रयागस्य तीर्थम् (Locative singular)

• सुस्नातः: having bathed well
• सुस्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (well-bathed)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having seen)

• पापैः: from sins
• पापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is released)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga-tīrtha (Kāśī) with Prayāga-Mādhava

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers in Kāśī-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at a Kāśī ghāṭ identified as Prayāga-tīrtha; water glints; then the pilgrim approaches a small shrine of Prayāga-Mādhava north of Daśāśvamedha. Dark smoke-like ‘sins’ dissolve into the river light.

Characters & Entities

• Daśāśvamedha
• Prayāga-tīrtha (in Kāśī context)
• Mādhava (Prayāga-ākhyā)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity (snāna) combined with darśana of the deity is extolled as a powerful means of pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prayāga-tīrtha within Kāśī’s sacred landscape, located north of Daśāśvamedha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing at the tīrtha (snāna) followed by darśana of Mādhava.