Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दैत्येश्वर नराः श्लाघ्या द्वारवत्यां गताश्च ये

Transliteration

daityeśvara narāḥ ślāghyā dvāravatyāṃ gatāśca ye

Translation

Ô seigneur des Daitya, les hommes qui sont allés à Dwāravatī sont véritablement dignes de louange.

Word by Word

• दैत्य: demon (Daitya)
• दैत्य: Samāsa-pūrvapada (compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular) (समासाङ्ग)

• ईश्वर: O lord
• ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• दैत्य-ईश्वर: O lord of the Daityas
• दैत्य-ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lord of the Daityas)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• श्लाघ्याः: praiseworthy
• श्लाघ्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ‘narāḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्लाघ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• द्वारवत्याम्: in Dvāravatī
• द्वारवत्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• गताः: gone/arrived
• गताः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ‘narāḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; direct address suggests a dialogue with a Daitya leader in this passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityeśvara (lord of the Daityas) (as addressed in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of pilgrims approaching Dvārakā’s gates—flags, water pots, staffs, and offerings—while a narrator addresses a ‘daitya-lord’ figure, emphasizing that even adversarial beings must acknowledge the pilgrims’ worth.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya (addressed)
• Dwāravatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a supremely sacred place is itself a mark of commendable spiritual aspiration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwāravatī (Dwārakā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is tīrtha-yātrā—going to Dwāravatī as a meritorious act.