Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 175

Devanagari script

पुत्रेणापीह किं कार्य्यं न गतो द्वारकां यदि । नारी पुत्रशताच्छ्रेष्ठा गत्वा कृष्णपुरीं वसेत्

Transliteration

putreṇāpīha kiṃ kāryyaṃ na gato dvārakāṃ yadi | nārī putraśatācchreṣṭhā gatvā kṛṣṇapurīṃ vaset

Translation

À quoi sert ici un fils, s’il n’est pas allé à Dvārakā ? Une femme vaut mieux que cent fils si, s’y rendant, elle demeure dans la cité de Kṛṣṇa.

Word by Word

• putreṇa: by/with a son
• putreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• api: even; also
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• iha: here (in this matter/world)
• iha: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• kāryam: need; purpose
• kāryam: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (thing to be done/need)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• gataḥ: (has) gone
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (one who has gone)

• dvārakām: to Dvārakā
• dvārakām: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• nārī: a woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• putraśatāt: than a hundred sons
• putraśatāt: Apadana (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (śata), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (putrāṇāṃ śatam) with ablative on whole: ‘than a hundred sons’

• śreṣṭhā: superior; better
• śreṣṭhā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (comparative/superlative sense: ‘better’)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• kṛṣṇapurīm: Kṛṣṇa’s city
• kṛṣṇapurīm: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kṛṣṇasya purī)

• vaset: should dwell
• vaset: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Traditional Māhātmya narrator (contextual; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā / Kṛṣṇapurī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rhetorical contrast scene: on one side, a proud household with many sons; on the other, a single woman pilgrim dwelling in Dvārakā near Kṛṣṇa’s temple—her side shines with spiritual radiance, indicating superior merit.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇapurī (Kṛṣṇa’s city)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual merit is measured by devotion and pilgrimage/residence in Dwārakā, not merely by social roles like having sons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwārakā, also called Kṛṣṇapurī, is upheld as the decisive sacred destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Going to Dwārakā and dwelling there (a form of tīrtha-sevā/residence).