Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

या गतिः सर्वजंतूनां द्वारकापुरवासिनाम् । सा गतिर्दुर्लभा नूनं मुनीनामूर्द्ध्वरेतसाम्

Transliteration

yā gatiḥ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ dvārakāpuravāsinām | sā gatirdurlabhā nūnaṃ munīnāmūrddhvaretasām

Translation

Das Ziel (gati), das alle Wesen erlangen, die in der Stadt Dvārakā wohnen—eben dieses—ist gewiss schwer zu erreichen selbst für asketische Munis, die ihren Samen zügeln.

Word by Word

• या: which
• या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• गतिः: state/goal, destiny
• गतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: of all beings
• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-jantu (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + जन्तु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• द्वारकापुरवासिनाम्: of the residents of Dvārakā city
• द्वारकापुरवासिनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā-pura-vāsin (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + पुर + वासिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सा: that
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• गतिः: goal/state
• गतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दुर्लभा: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभा: Karta-predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-labha (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + लभ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गतिः)

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Nishcaya/Emphasis (निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय-अव्यय (particle of certainty)

• मुनीनाम्: of sages
• मुनीनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ऊर्द्ध्वरेतसाम्: of the celibate/continent (lit. those whose semen is upward)
• ऊर्द्ध्वरेतसाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrddhva-retas (प्रातिपदिक; ऊर्द्ध्व + रेतस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘येṣां रेतः ऊर्द्ध्वम्’

Speaker

Prahlāda (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-purī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two paths contrasted: austere sages in forest meditation and, in parallel, ordinary Dvārakā residents engaged in simple worship—yet surrounded by a higher radiance indicating rarer attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Munis (ūrdhva-retas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra’s grace can grant a spiritual goal that even severe ascetic discipline may struggle to reach—highlighting tīrtha-prabhāva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā-pura, whose residents are promised an exceptionally rare spiritual destiny.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse contrasts kṣetra-residence with ascetic effort to emphasize Dvārakā’s unique potency.