Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

दुर्ल्लभो द्वारकावासो दुर्ल्लभं कृष्णदर्शनम् । दुर्ल्लभं गोमती स्नानं रुक्मिणीदर्शनं द्विजाः

Transliteration

durllabho dvārakāvāso durllabhaṃ kṛṣṇadarśanam | durllabhaṃ gomatī snānaṃ rukmiṇīdarśanaṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

Rare est le séjour à Dvārakā ; rare est la vision du Seigneur Kṛṣṇa. Rare est le bain dans la Gomātī, et rare aussi — ô deux-fois-nés — la darśana de Rukmiṇī.

Word by Word

• durllabhaḥ: hard to obtain
• durllabhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (द्वारकावासः)

• dvārakāvāsaḥ: dwelling in Dvārakā
• dvārakāvāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (द्वारकायां वासः)

• durllabham: hard to obtain
• durllabham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कृष्णदर्शनम्)

• kṛṣṇadarśanam: seeing Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇadarśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृष्णस्य दर्शनम्)

• durllabham: hard to obtain
• durllabham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्नानम्)

• gomatī: of/in the Gomati (river)
• gomatī: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (स्नानम्—गोमती-नद्याः)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• rukmiṇīdarśanam: seeing Rukmiṇī
• rukmiṇīdarśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmiṇī + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (रुक्मिण्याः दर्शनम्)

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)

Speaker

Narrator/teacher voice addressing dvijas (within Dvārakā-māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā; Gomātī; Rukmiṇī-darśana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic proclamation: the speaker enumerates four ‘rare’ blessings, with visual vignettes—Dvārakā’s gates, Kṛṣṇa’s darśana, Gomātī bathers, and Rukmiṇī’s serene presence.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇa
• Gomātī
• Rukmiṇī
• Dvipra (Dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse teaches the exceptional spiritual fortune required for Dvārakā-yātrā—true access to holy place, deity, and sacred river is a rare grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā and the Gomātī river, along with the sacred opportunity for Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomātī snāna (ritual bathing) and darśana (reverential viewing) of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī.