Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

द्वारकासंभवा मृत्स्ना तुलसीकृष्णकीर्तनम् । क्रतुकोटिशतं पुण्यं कथितं व्याससूनुना

Transliteration

dvārakāsaṃbhavā mṛtsnā tulasīkṛṣṇakīrtanam | kratukoṭiśataṃ puṇyaṃ kathitaṃ vyāsasūnunā

Translation

Dvārakā-born sacred clay, Tulasī, and the singing of Kṛṣṇa’s names—these are declared by Vyāsa’s son to yield the merit of hundreds of crores of sacrifices.

Word by Word

• dvārakāsaṃbhavā: originating from Dvārakā
• dvārakāsaṃbhavā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvārakā-saṃbhavā (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + सम्भवा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• mṛtsnā: sacred earth/clay
• mṛtsnā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtsnā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• tulasīkṛṣṇakīrtanam: chanting/praising Kṛṣṇa (with/along with Tulasī)
• tulasīkṛṣṇakīrtanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक; तुलसी + कृष्ण + कीर्तन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• kratukoṭiśatam: (equal to) a hundred crores of sacrifices
• kratukoṭiśatam: Karmadhāraya/Predicate complement (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu-koṭi-śata (प्रातिपदिक; क्रतु + कोटि + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Nominative/Accusative singular used as measure

• puṇyam: meritorious
• puṇyam: Karmadhāraya/Predicate complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Nominative/Accusative singular; गुणवाचक

• kathitam: has been stated/told
• kathitam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kath (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past participle (passive sense)

• vyāsasūnunā: by Vyāsa's son
• vyāsasūnunā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa-sūnu (प्रातिपदिक; व्यास + सूनु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; Instrumental singular (agent in passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced); authority cited: Śuka (Vyāsa’s son)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (context continues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims collect a pinch of sacred clay from Dvārakā, apply tilaka, offer tulasī at a Kṛṣṇa shrine, and sing kīrtana; above them, symbolic yajña fires and sacrificial altars dissolve into the radiance of nāma-kīrtana.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Sacred clay (mṛtsnā)
• Tulasī
• Kṛṣṇa
• Śuka (Vyāsa-sūnu)
• Vedic sacrifices (kratu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In the Purāṇic vision, simple bhakti—kīrtana with sacred supports like Tulasī and holy earth—can surpass the merit of complex ritual sacrifice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is glorified as the source of sanctifying mṛtsnā and as the devotional landscape supporting Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of Dvārakā sacred soil, honoring Tulasī, and performing Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana are recommended as high-merit practices.