Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । बृहस्पतेर्वचः श्रुत्वा शतक्रतुरथाऽब्रवीत् । वाचस्पते मम इहि द्वारवत्या महोदयम् । गमने किं फलं प्रोक्तं कृष्णदेवस्य दर्शने

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | bṛhaspatervacaḥ śrutvā śatakraturathā'bravīt | vācaspate mama ihi dvāravatyā mahodayam | gamane kiṃ phalaṃ proktaṃ kṛṣṇadevasya darśane

Translation

Prahlāda said: Hearing Bṛhaspati’s words, Śatakratu (Indra) then spoke: “O Vācaspati, Lord of Speech, tell me the great glory of Dvāravatī. What phala, spiritual fruit, is declared for going there and for beholding Lord Kṛṣṇa?”

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Kartā (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• bṛhaspateḥ: of Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspateḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• vacaḥ: speech, words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object of śrutvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• śatakratuḥ: Śatakratu (Indra)
• śatakratuḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata-kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (शतं क्रतवो यस्य/शतक्रतुः—इन्द्रस्य नाम); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• athā: then
• athā: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequencing particle)

• abravīt: said, spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Imperfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• vācaspate: O lord of speech (Bṛhaspati)
• vācaspate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vācaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• mama: my
• mama: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular; pronoun)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• dvāravatyāḥ: of Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• dvāravatyāḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāravatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Singular)

• mahodayam: great rise/benefit
• mahodayam: Karma (Object; 'great benefit/prosperity')
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (महान् उदयः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• gamane: in the journey/going
• gamane: Adhikaraṇa (Context: 'in going')
• Type: Noun
• Root: gamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• kim: what?
• kim: Viśeṣaṇa/Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; interrogative)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma/Pradhāna (Object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• proktam: said, declared
• proktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of phalam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त; pra-√vac धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past passive participle; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• kṛṣṇa-devasya: of Lord Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-devasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (कृष्णः देवः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• darśane: in the sight/vision
• darśane: Adhikaraṇa (Context: 'in seeing')
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Prahlāda (narrating Indra’s question)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within the Purāṇic frame (and implicitly the reader)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial court scene: Indra (Śatakratu) respectfully questioning Bṛhaspati, with Prahlāda narrating; the topic is Dvārakā’s glory and Kṛṣṇa-darśana merit.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Bṛhaspati
• Indra (Śatakratu)
• Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma begins with inquiry—seeking the promised fruits of pilgrimage and divine darśana from a competent teacher.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvāravatī/Dvārakā, specifically in connection with Kṛṣṇa-darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse frames the question about the fruit of gamana (pilgrimage) and darśana (seeing the deity).