Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

तीर्थैर्नानाविधैः पुत्र तत्स्थानैः किं प्रयोजनम् । फलं समस्ततीर्थानां दृष्ट्वा द्वारवतीं लभेत्

Transliteration

tīrthairnānāvidhaiḥ putra tatsthānaiḥ kiṃ prayojanam | phalaṃ samastatīrthānāṃ dṛṣṭvā dvāravatīṃ labhet

Translation

Ô mon fils, à quoi bon tant de tīrthas variés et leurs lieux multiples ? En contemplant seulement Dvāravatī (Dvārakā), on obtient le mérite, fruit de tous les tīrthas.

Word by Word

• तीर्थैः: by/with pilgrimage places
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• नानाविधैः: of various kinds
• नानाविधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (नाना विधाः)

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तत्स्थानैः: with those places
• तत्स्थानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तेषां स्थानैः)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• प्रयोजनम्: purpose, use
• प्रयोजनम्: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; ‘किं प्रयोजनम्’ इति प्रश्नवाक्ये विधेयम्

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• समस्ततीर्थानाम्: of all the tīrthas
• समस्ततीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समस्त + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (समस्तानि तीर्थानि येषां/समस्त-तीर्थ)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• द्वारवतीम्: Dvāravatī
• द्वारवतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

A narrator/teacher figure addressing 'putra' within Dvārakā Māhātmya (speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘putra’ (son) addressed within the narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim (addressed as ‘son’) stands at Dvārakā’s threshold, gazing upon the sacred city and temple spires; other distant tīrthas are symbolically shown dissolving into the vision of Dvāravatī.

Characters & Entities

• Dvāravatī
• Dvārakā
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places differ, yet the Lord’s abode can concentrate their merit; Dvārakā-darśana is praised as yielding the fruit of all pilgrimages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvāravatī/Dvārakā, the famed sacred city associated with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the act emphasized is darśana—beholding/visiting Dvārakā.