Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

दशाश्वमेधे यः कश्चिच्छूरवृत्त्या तनुं त्यजेत् । अक्षया नु गतिस्तस्य इत्येवं श्रुतिनोदना

Transliteration

daśāśvamedhe yaḥ kaścicchūravṛttyā tanuṃ tyajet | akṣayā nu gatistasya ityevaṃ śrutinodanā

Translation

جو کوئی دَشاشوَمیَدھ میں بہادری کے عزم کے ساتھ اپنا بدن چھوڑ دے، اس کی گتی یقیناً اَکشَی ہے—یوں ہی شروتی کی ترغیب ہے۔

Word by Word

• daśa-aśvamedhe: in the (place/rite of) ten Aśvamedhas
• daśa-aśvamedhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (दश अśvamedhāḥ यस्मिन्/दशाश्वमेधः)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kaścit: someone, anyone
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + cit (अव्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• śūra-vṛttyā: by heroic conduct
• śūra-vṛttyā: Karaṇa/Hetu (Means/Reason/करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūra (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शूरस्य वृत्तिः)

• tanum: body
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tyajet: should abandon, give up
• tyajet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• akṣayā: imperishable
• akṣayā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• nu: indeed, surely
• nu: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: नु-निपात (emphatic/confirmatory particle)

• gatiḥ: destination, state
• gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• evam: in this way
• evam: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (in this manner)

• śruti-nodanā: Vedic injunction/impulsion
• śruti-nodanā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + nodanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्रुतेः नोदना)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśāśvamedha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand ghat/field named Daśāśvamedha: banners raised, priests and pilgrims, a symbolic horse-sacrifice iconography in the background (horse standard, yajña-kuṇḍa), while a warrior-like devotee performs final renunciation with unwavering gaze; above, a radiant path labeled 'akṣayā gati'.

Characters & Entities

• Daśāśvamedha
• Śruti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Courage aligned with dharma, when joined to a sanctified place, is praised as leading to an imperishable spiritual destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśāśvamedha tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the verse extols śūra-vṛtti (heroic resolve) and death at the Daśāśvamedha tīrtha as spiritually efficacious.