Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । बृहस्पतेर्वचः श्रुत्वा शतक्रतुरथाऽब्रवीत् । वाचस्पते मम इहि द्वारवत्या महोदयम् । गमने किं फलं प्रोक्तं कृष्णदेवस्य दर्शने

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | bṛhaspatervacaḥ śrutvā śatakraturathā'bravīt | vācaspate mama ihi dvāravatyā mahodayam | gamane kiṃ phalaṃ proktaṃ kṛṣṇadevasya darśane

Translation

Prahlāda sprach: Nachdem Śatakratu (Indra) die Worte Bṛhaspatis gehört hatte, sagte er: «O Vācaspati, Herr der Rede, verkünde mir die große Herrlichkeit von Dvāravatī. Welches फल, welche geistige Frucht, wird für das Hingehen dorthin und für das Schauen des Herrn Kṛṣṇa gelehrt?»

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Kartā (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• bṛhaspateḥ: of Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspateḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• vacaḥ: speech, words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object of śrutvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• śatakratuḥ: Śatakratu (Indra)
• śatakratuḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata-kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (शतं क्रतवो यस्य/शतक्रतुः—इन्द्रस्य नाम); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• athā: then
• athā: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequencing particle)

• abravīt: said, spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Imperfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• vācaspate: O lord of speech (Bṛhaspati)
• vācaspate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vācaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• mama: my
• mama: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular; pronoun)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• dvāravatyāḥ: of Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• dvāravatyāḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāravatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Singular)

• mahodayam: great rise/benefit
• mahodayam: Karma (Object; 'great benefit/prosperity')
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (महान् उदयः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• gamane: in the journey/going
• gamane: Adhikaraṇa (Context: 'in going')
• Type: Noun
• Root: gamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• kim: what?
• kim: Viśeṣaṇa/Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; interrogative)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• proktam: said, declared
• proktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of phalam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त; pra-√vac धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past passive participle; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• kṛṣṇa-devasya: of Lord Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-devasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (कृष्णः देवः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• darśane: in the sight/vision
• darśane: Adhikaraṇa (Context: 'in seeing')
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Prahlāda (narrating Indra’s question)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within the Purāṇic frame (and implicitly the reader)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial court scene: Indra (Śatakratu) respectfully questioning Bṛhaspati, with Prahlāda narrating; the topic is Dvārakā’s glory and Kṛṣṇa-darśana merit.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Bṛhaspati
• Indra (Śatakratu)
• Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma begins with inquiry—seeking the promised fruits of pilgrimage and divine darśana from a competent teacher.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvāravatī/Dvārakā, specifically in connection with Kṛṣṇa-darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse frames the question about the fruit of gamana (pilgrimage) and darśana (seeing the deity).