Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 177

Devanagari script

तुलसीदलमालां तु कृष्णोत्तीर्णां तु यो वहेत् । पत्रेपत्रेऽश्वमेधानां दशानां लभते फलम्

Transliteration

tulasīdalamālāṃ tu kṛṣṇottīrṇāṃ tu yo vahet | patrepatre'śvamedhānāṃ daśānāṃ labhate phalam

Translation

من لبسَ إكليلَ أوراقِ التولسي الذي قُدِّمَ إلى كريشنا نالَ، ورقةً بعد ورقة، ثوابَ عشرةِ قرابينَ أشڤاميدها.

Word by Word

• tulasīdalamālām: a garland of tulasī leaves
• tulasīdalamālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक) + dala (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tulasyaḥ dala-mālā)

• tu: indeed; and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• kṛṣṇottīrṇām: (a garland) worn/used by Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇottīrṇām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ut-tṝ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kṛṣṇena uttīrṇā = ‘worn/used by Kṛṣṇa’)

• tu: and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

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

• vahet: should carry/wear
• vahet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• patre: in a leaf
• patre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे पुनरुक्ति-योग (in each leaf)

• patre: in every (leaf)
• patre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (patre patre = ‘in every leaf’)

• aśvamedhānām: of horse-sacrifices
• aśvamedhānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• daśānām: of ten
• daśānām: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (सामान्यतः) सर्वलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (of ten)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• phalam: fruit; merit
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Traditional Māhātmya narrator (contextual; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee receives a tulasī garland from the altar after it has touched Kṛṣṇa; each leaf is shown as a radiant ‘merit-flame,’ with faint imagery of sacrificial horses symbolizing aśvamedha equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Tulasī
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple devotional acts connected to Kṛṣṇa (wearing tulasī prasāda) are exalted above grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwārakā is the broader setting of this Māhātmya praising Kṛṣṇa-centered devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Wearing a tulasī-leaf garland that has been offered to Kṛṣṇa (prasāda-mālā).