Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 163

Devanagari script

तस्माद्द्वारवतीं गत्वा कृष्णस्य दर्शनं कुरु । प्रेतयोनेर्विनिर्मुक्ता यास्यामः परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

tasmāddvāravatīṃ gatvā kṛṣṇasya darśanaṃ kuru | pretayonervinirmuktā yāsyāmaḥ paramāṃ gatim

Translation

Therefore, go to Dvāravatī (Dvārakā) and obtain the darśana of Kṛṣṇa. Freed from the state of being born as pretas, we shall attain the supreme destination.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (therefore/from that reason)

• द्वारवतीम्: to Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• द्वारवतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘गत्वा’ इत्यस्य कर्म (destination)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): having gone

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna
• कृष्णस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• दर्शनम्: sight/darśana
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कुरु’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• कुरु: do/perform
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• प्रेतयोनेः: of the preta-womb/state (ghostly birth)
• प्रेतयोनेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रेतस्य योनि); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘विनिर्मुक्ताः’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्ध/अपादानार्थ-प्रायः

• विनिर्मुक्ताः: freed/released
• विनिर्मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-निर्-√मुच् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम् (we, being freed)

• यास्यामः: we shall go
• यास्यामः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘गतिम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• गतिम्: state/goal/destination
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यास्यामः’ इत्यस्य कर्म (goal)

Speaker

Pitṛs (ancestral beings), urging a descendant

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: putra (son) addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate procession to Dvārakā: a son leads suffering preta-like figures (or unseen ancestors) toward Kṛṣṇa’s temple; upon darśana, the pretas transform into luminous, peaceful beings ascending toward a higher realm.

Characters & Entities

• Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Preta
• Paramā gati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and darśana of Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā is portrayed as a liberating act that uplifts even the ancestors from afflicted states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvāravatī/Dvārakā—the sacred city of Śrī Kṛṣṇa—is directly praised as a place granting supreme spiritual results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā to Dvārakā and taking Kṛṣṇa’s darśana (temple/holy presence) is prescribed for ancestral upliftment.