Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

स्थापयेद्द्वारकायां वै मूर्तिं दारुशिलामयीम् । त्रैलोक्यं स्थापितं तेन विष्णोः सायुज्यतामियात्

Transliteration

sthāpayeddvārakāyāṃ vai mūrtiṃ dāruśilāmayīm | trailokyaṃ sthāpitaṃ tena viṣṇoḥ sāyujyatāmiyāt

Translation

One should install in Dvārakā an image (of the Lord) made of wood or stone. By that act, the three worlds are as though established by him; and he attains union (sāyujya) with Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• sthāpayet: should establish
• sthāpayet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) [णिच् causative: sthāpay]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘should establish’

• dvārakāyām: in Dvārakā
• dvārakāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis

• mūrtim: an image/icon
• mūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dāruśilāmayīm: made of wood and stone
• dāruśilāmayīm: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāru + śilā + mayī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘made of wood-and-stone’ (dāru-śilā dvandva + mayī) qualifying mūrtim

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘the three worlds’

• sthāpitam: established
• sthāpitam: Kriya-visheshana/Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthāpita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; causative of √sthā)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘established’

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (instr.), एकवचन; ‘by him/thereby’

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (gen.), एकवचन

• sāyujyatām: union (with)
• sāyujyatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāyujyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘state of union/identity’

• iyāt: would attain
• iyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘would attain/go to’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee installs a Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa image in coastal Dvārakā; priests perform consecration rites with kalasha, conch, lamps, and Vedic chanting; the sea and city-gates frame the sanctum, suggesting ‘establishing the three worlds’.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Viṣṇu
• trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consecrating a Viṣṇu image in Dvārakā is exalted as world-sustaining merit and leads to the highest devotional consummation—Viṣṇu-sāyujya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, explicitly named as the place where mūrti-pratiṣṭhā yields extraordinary results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mūrti-pratiṣṭhā (installation/consecration) of an image made of wood (dāru) or stone (śilā) in Dvārakā.