Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

मन्वंतरसहस्रैस्तु काशीवासेन यत्फलम् । तत्फलं द्वारकावासे वसतां पंचभिर्दिनैः

Transliteration

manvaṃtarasahasraistu kāśīvāsena yatphalam | tatphalaṃ dvārakāvāse vasatāṃ paṃcabhirdinaiḥ

Translation

The merit gained by dwelling in Kāśī for thousands of Manvantaras—that very same merit is attained by those who dwell in Dvārakā for five days.

Word by Word

• मन्वन्तरसहस्रैः: by thousands of manvantaras
• मन्वन्तरसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; मन्वन्तर + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental: by/with)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• काशीवासेन: by residence in Kāśī
• काशीवासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी-वास (प्रातिपदिक; काशी + वास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental: by dwelling in Kāśī)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative: which)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म (result)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म (result)

• द्वारकावासे: in residence at Dvārakā
• द्वारकावासे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका-वास (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + वास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (place/condition)

• वसताम्: of those who dwell
• वसताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; ‘वसत्’ (dwelling) — genitive plural: of those dwelling

• पञ्चभिः: by five
• पञ्चभिः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (त्रिलिङ्ग), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• दिनैः: days
• दिनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental of duration)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim household arriving at sea-girt Dvārakā, taking lodging for five days, with distant visual echo of Kāśī’s ghāṭas to signify the ‘compressed’ merit comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dvārakā
• Manvantara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma exalts certain tīrthas as extraordinarily grace-filled, where even brief residence yields immense spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is directly glorified, with Kāśī used as the benchmark of supreme tīrtha-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical prescription is implied: reside in Dvārakā for five days to gain exceptional puṇya.