Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रद्धया परया भक्त्या कृष्णदर्शनलालसाः । वीणानिनादतत्त्वज्ञं नारदं पथि तेऽ ब्रुवन्

Transliteration

śraddhayā parayā bhaktyā kṛṣṇadarśanalālasāḥ | vīṇāninādatattvajñaṃ nāradaṃ pathi te' bruvan

Translation

Mit tiefer Glaubenskraft und höchster Bhakti, voll Sehnsucht nach dem Darśana Kṛṣṇas, sprachen sie unterwegs zu Nārada—dem Kenner der Wahrheit des Klanges der Vīṇā und seiner geistigen Bedeutung.

Word by Word

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/साधन), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental case, Singular

• परया: supreme, intense
• परया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular; विशेषण (श्रद्धया/भक्त्या)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• कृष्णदर्शनलालसाः: eager for the sight of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णदर्शनलालसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + लालस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; बहुवचन-विशेषण (ते)

• वीणा: vīṇā (lute)
• वीणा: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासपूर्वपद) — Feminine stem used as compound member

• निनाद: sound, resonance
• निनाद: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निनाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासपूर्वपद) — Masculine stem used as compound member

• तत्त्वज्ञम्: knower of the true nature (of the vīṇā’s sound)
• तत्त्वज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; विशेषण (नारदम्)

• नारदम्: Nārada
• नारदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पथि: on the path
• पथि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; सर्वनाम (कर्ता)

• अब्रुवन्: said, spoke
• अब्रुवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Imperfect, 3rd person, Plural

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (as darśana-goal)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims, filled with faith and longing for Kṛṣṇa’s vision, address Nārada on the road; Nārada’s vīṇā seems to carry spiritual truth through its resonance.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Nārada
• Vīṇā
• Darśana
• Bhakti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes spiritually potent when driven by śraddhā and bhakti, with Kṛṣṇa-darśana as the heart of the journey.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the implied destination via the longing for Kṛṣṇa’s darśana during the yātrā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it highlights devotional disposition—faith, devotion, and satsanga with Nārada—as the pilgrim’s discipline.