Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

यः पठेच्छृणुते वापि माहात्म्यं द्वारकाभवम् । न भवेद्भूतवैकल्यं धर्मवैकल्यमेव च

Transliteration

yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇute vāpi māhātmyaṃ dvārakābhavam | na bhavedbhūtavaikalyaṃ dharmavaikalyameva ca

Translation

Wer das aus Dvārakā hervorgegangene Dvārakā-Māhātmya liest oder auch nur hört, bei dem entsteht weder Mangel an Wohlsein von Leib und Leben noch ein Mangel an Dharma.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• पठेत्: should read/recite
• पठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• शृणुते: hears/listens
• शृणुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदी

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: or)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• माहात्म्यम्: the sacred greatness (māhātmya)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्वारकाभवम्: pertaining to/connected with Dvārakā
• द्वारकाभवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्वारकायाः भवम् = arising from/pertaining to Dvārakā)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• भवेत्: would be/should occur
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• भूतवैकल्यम्: defect/impairment of beings (bodily/elemental deficiency)
• भूतवैकल्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + वैकल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूतानां वैकल्यम्)

• धर्मवैकल्यम्: defect/deficiency in dharma
• धर्मवैकल्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वैकल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य वैकल्यम्)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā Māhātmya

Type: kshetra (kathā-based access)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small assembly listens to the māhātmya; figures appear healthy and composed; above them, a balanced scale symbolizes dharma, steady and unshaken.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular reading or hearing of a tīrtha-māhātmya is shown as dharma-sustaining: it supports both worldly well-being and steadiness in righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, via the declared fruits of engaging with its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha (reading) and śravaṇa (hearing) of the Dvārakā Māhātmya.