Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

ऋषितीर्थदेवा ऊचुः । कदा द्रक्ष्यामहे पुण्यां द्वारकां कृष्णपालिताम् । श्रीकृष्णदेवमूर्तिं च कृष्णवक्त्रं सुशोभितम्

Transliteration

ṛṣitīrthadevā ūcuḥ | kadā drakṣyāmahe puṇyāṃ dvārakāṃ kṛṣṇapālitām | śrīkṛṣṇadevamūrtiṃ ca kṛṣṇavaktraṃ suśobhitam

Translation

Les ṛṣi, les tīrtha et les dieux dirent : « Quand verrons-nous la sainte Dvārakā, gardée par Kṛṣṇa, et aussi la forme divine de Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son visage magnifiquement rayonnant ? »

Word by Word

• ṛṣitīrthadevāḥ: the sages and the tīrtha-deities
• ṛṣitīrthadevāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi + tīrtha + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (ऋषयः च तीर्थदेवाः च)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• kadā: when?
• kadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of time)

• drakṣyāmahe: shall we see
• drakṣyāmahe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• puṇyām: holy
• puṇyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (द्वारकां)

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

• kṛṣṇapālitām: protected by Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇapālitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa + pālita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from pāl)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘पालित’; विशेषणम् (द्वारकां)

• śrīkṛṣṇadevamūrtim: the form (icon) of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• śrīkṛṣṇadevamūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + kṛṣṇa + deva + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (श्रीकृष्णदेवस्य मूर्तिः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṛṣṇavaktram: Kṛṣṇa’s face
• kṛṣṇavaktram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृष्णस्य वक्त्रम्)

• suśobhitam: beautifully adorned
• suśobhitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + śobhita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from śubh/śobh)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘शोभित’; विशेषणम् (वक्त्रम्)

Speaker

Ṛṣis, Tīrthas, and Devas (collective)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial assembly—ṛṣis, personified tīrthas, and devas—gazing westward with folded hands, yearning to behold Dvārakā and Kṛṣṇa’s radiant face.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• ṛṣis
• tīrthas
• devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest aspiration is darśana of the Lord and his sacred city; Dvārakā is holy because it is protected and illumined by Kṛṣṇa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is explicitly glorified as puṇyā and ‘Kṛṣṇa-protected’ (kṛṣṇa-pālitā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies darśana-yātrā (pilgrimage for sacred seeing) rather than prescribing a specific vow, donation, or bath.