Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

ततः प्रभृति विख्यातमश्वतीर्थं धरातले । गंगातीरे शुभे पुण्ये कान्यकुब्जसमीपगम् । यस्मिन्स्नाने कृते मर्त्यो वाजिमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tataḥ prabhṛti vikhyātamaśvatīrthaṃ dharātale | gaṃgātīre śubhe puṇye kānyakubjasamīpagam | yasminsnāne kṛte martyo vājimedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

นับแต่นั้นมา อัศวตีรถะก็เลื่องลือไปทั่วพิภพ—อยู่ ณ ฝั่งคงคาอันเป็นมงคลและศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ใกล้กานยกุบชะ ผู้ใดอาบสนานที่นั่น ย่อมได้ผลบุญแห่งอัศวเมธยัญ

Word by Word

• tataḥ: from then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/कालसूचक (from then)

• prabhṛti: onwards
• prabhṛti: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabhṛti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भबोधक (beginning from)

• vikhyātam: became renowned
• vikhyātam: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + khyā (धातु) → vikhyāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः

• aśva-tīrtham: Aśva-tīrtha (Horse-ford)
• aśva-tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (aśvasya tīrtham)

• dharā-tale: on the surface of the earth
• dharā-tale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (dharāyāḥ tale)

• gaṃgā-tīre: on the bank of the Ganges
• gaṃgā-tīre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (gaṃgāyāḥ tīre)

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• puṇye: holy
• puṇye: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kānyakubja-samīpagam: near Kānyakubja (Kannauj)
• kānyakubja-samīpagam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kānyakubja (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (kānyakubjasya samīpaṃ gacchati iti / samīpe gataṃ); ga = गम्-धातोः क्त/प्रत्ययान्त-भावः (ग/गत-आधारित)

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• snāne: in bathing
• snāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• kṛte: when done
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• martyaḥ: a mortal
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vāji-medha-phalam: fruit of the Aśvamedha
• vāji-medha-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājin (प्रातिपदिक) + medha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vāji-medhasya phalam)

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvatīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at a Gaṅgā ghat marked as Aśvatīrtha; in the background, the memory of the miracle (white horses) is hinted like a translucent vision; the atmosphere is auspicious and sanctifying.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Aśvatīrtha
• Gaṅgā
• Kānyakubja
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is salvific: sincere snāna at a sanctified tīrtha can confer merits likened to great Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aśvatīrtha, located on the Gaṅgā near Kānyakubja.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Aśvatīrtha, with the stated phala of attaining Aśvamedha-like merit.