Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

सुलभा मथुरा काशी ह्यवन्ती च तथा सुराः । अयोध्या सुलभा लोके दुर्लभा द्वारका कलौ

Transliteration

sulabhā mathurā kāśī hyavantī ca tathā surāḥ | ayodhyā sulabhā loke durlabhā dvārakā kalau

Translation

Mathurā and Kāśī are easy to reach; so too are Avantī and the abodes of the gods; Ayodhyā also is accessible in the world—yet in the Kali age, Dvārakā is difficult to obtain and to reach.

Word by Word

• सुलभा: easily attainable
• सुलभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुलभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — ‘सुलभा’

• मथुरा: Mathurā
• मथुरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘मथुरा’

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘काशी’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/हेतुबोधक (emphatic/causal particle)

• अवन्ती: Avantī
• अवन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘अवन्ती’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (adverb: likewise)

• सुराः: (the city) Surā(s)
• सुराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — ‘सुराः’

• अयोध्या: Ayodhyā
• अयोध्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘अयोध्या’

• सुलभा: easily attainable
• सुलभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुलभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘सुलभा’

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘लोके’

• दुर्लभा: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘दुर्लभा’

• द्वारका: Dvārakā
• द्वारका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘द्वारका’

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘कलौ’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā/Dvāravatī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a pilgrim-map of Bhārata with famed cities (Mathurā, Kāśī, Avantī, Ayodhyā) shown as open gates, while Dvārakā appears as a radiant but distant sea-girt citadel, approached through waves and divine guardianship.

Characters & Entities

• Mathurā
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Avantī (Ujjain)
• Ayodhyā
• Dvārakā
• Surāḥ (devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dvārakā is portrayed as a rare, hard-to-attain pilgrimage in Kali-yuga, increasing its spiritual value and urgency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is singled out as ‘durlabhā’ in Kali-yuga, while other famed tīrthas are listed for comparison.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a tīrtha-eulogy framed as sacred-geography teaching.