Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

वरदाने नरः स्नातो गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् । विष्णुदुर्वाससोर्यत्र वरदानमभूत्पुरा

Transliteration

varadāne naraḥ snāto gosahasraphalaṃ labhet | viṣṇudurvāsasoryatra varadānamabhūtpurā

Translation

Wer in Varadāna das heilige Bad nimmt, erlangt Verdienst, als hätte er tausend Kühe verschenkt; denn hier geschah einst die Segensgewährung durch Viṣṇu und den Weisen Durvāsā.

Word by Word

• वरदाने: at/in Varadāna (the tīrtha)
• वरदाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent as qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गो-सहस्र-फलम्: the merit equal to (gift of) a thousand cows
• गो-सहस्र-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'fruit/result of a thousand cows'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• विष्णुदुर्वाससोः: of Viṣṇu and Durvāsas
• विष्णुदुर्वाससोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), द्विवचन (Dual)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb: 'where')

• वरदानम्: boon-giving (act/name)
• वरदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अभूत्: happened/occurred
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'formerly')

Speaker

Prahlāda (deduced from immediate narrative flow in Adhyāya 4)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varadāna

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprendras (implied continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe at Varadāna while priests recite; in a subtle overlay, the ancient moment of Kṛṣṇa and Durvāsā’s boon-bestowal is evoked, signifying the go-sahasra-equivalent merit.

Characters & Entities

• Varadāna Tīrtha
• Viṣṇu
• Durvāsā
• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna, grounded in sacred history, can yield merits comparable to great acts of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Varadāna Tīrtha at Dvārakā, linked to the ancient boon-exchange of Viṣṇu and Durvāsā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Varadāna tīrtha; the stated fruit equals go-dāna of a thousand cows.