Shloka 92

Devanagari script

एको<पि कृष्णस्य कृत: प्रणामो दशाश्वमेधाव भूथेन तुल्य: । दशाश्वमेधी पुनरेति जन्म कृष्णप्रणामी न पुनर्भवाय

Transliteration

eko 'pi kṛṣṇasya kṛtaḥ praṇāmo daśāśvamedhāvabhṛthena tulyaḥ | daśāśvamedhī punar eti janma kṛṣṇapraṇāmī na punarbhavāya ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：即便只向黑天（Kṛṣṇa）恭敬顶礼一次，其功德也等同于十次马祭（Aśvamedha）终了时的沐浴仪式（avabhṛtha）。然而尚有更深的差别：行十次马祭者仍将再生于世，而向黑天俯首者不再回到轮回相续的系缚之中。

Word by Word

• एकः: one (single)
• एकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna
• कृष्णस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कृतः: done/made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रणामः: salutation/bow
• प्रणामः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रणाम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दश: ten
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश
• Form: Indeclinable (numeral used as prior member), —, —

• अश्वमेध-अवभृथेन: with the concluding bath of the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेध-अवभृथेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध-अवभृथ
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तुल्यः: equal (to)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दश-अश्वमेधी: one who has performed ten Aśvamedhas
• दश-अश्वमेधी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-अश्वमेधिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• एति: goes/attains
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कृष्ण-प्रणामी: one who salutes Krishna
• कृष्ण-प्रणामी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण-प्रणामिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• पुनर्भवाय: for rebirth / to becoming again
• पुनर्भवाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनर्भव
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Kṛṣṇa
• Aśvamedha (horse sacrifice)
• Avabhṛtha (concluding bath)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Devotional surrender expressed even through a single sincere praṇāma to Kṛṣṇa is presented as surpassing great ritual achievements: it grants not merely ritual merit but freedom from punarbhava (rebirth), emphasizing liberation-oriented devotion over merit-seeking sacrifice.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva discourse, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the highest means to welfare. Here he praises the spiritual efficacy of bowing to Kṛṣṇa, comparing it to the culmination of major Vedic sacrifices and then asserting its superior result—release from saṃsāra.