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

شمال کی سمت، دشاشومیدھ سے آگے، مجھے ‘پریاگ’ نام والا مادھو جانو۔ پریاگ تیرتھ میں خوب غسل کرکے پھر میرا درشن کرے تو وہ گناہوں سے چھوٹ جاتا ہے۔

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.