Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दुष्करो राजसूयोऽयं सर्वैरपि महीश्वरैः । अनेकशतपादातरथकुंजरवाजिमान्

Transliteration

duṣkaro rājasūyo'yaṃ sarvairapi mahīśvaraiḥ | anekaśatapādātarathakuṃjaravājimān

Translation

“ราชสูยะยัญญะนี้สำเร็จได้ยาก แม้สำหรับบรรดากษัตริย์ทั้งหลายบนแผ่นดิน; ต้องมีกำลังพลใหญ่หลวง—ทหารราบนับร้อย รถศึก ช้าง และม้า”

Word by Word

• duṣkaraḥ: difficult to accomplish
• duṣkaraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (rājasūya-विशेषण)

• rājasūyaḥ: the Rājasūya sacrifice
• rājasūyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājasūya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Kartṛ-sahakāraka (Agent-instrument/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-भाव (even/also)

• mahīśvaraiḥ: by the lords of the earth (kings)
• mahīśvaraiḥ: Kartṛ-sahakāraka (Agent-instrument/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahīyāḥ īśvarāḥ)

• aneka-śata-pāda-āta-ratha-kuṃjara-vāji-mān: possessing many hundreds of foot-soldiers, chariots, elephants, and horses
• aneka-śata-pāda-āta-ratha-kuṃjara-vāji-mān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + āta (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṃjara (प्रातिपदिक) + vāji (प्रातिपदिक) + -mant (मतुप् तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya ... asti = possessing ...); मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (mant)

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa (continuing counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping tableau of military and ceremonial readiness: ranks of infantry, chariots, elephants, and horses; banners and drums; the sense that the rite is inseparable from imperial order.

Characters & Entities

• Rājasūya
• Mahīśvaras (kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great rites demand great responsibility—material capacity and moral readiness must align.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of Setukhaṇḍa’s broader sacred narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Rājasūya is described as requiring extensive royal resources and organization.