Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

यस्त्वेकं भोजयेद्विप्रं द्वारकायां च संस्थितम् । सुभिक्षे भो द्विजश्रेष्ठाः फलं लक्षगुणं भवेत्

Transliteration

yastvekaṃ bhojayedvipraṃ dvārakāyāṃ ca saṃsthitam | subhikṣe bho dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ phalaṃ lakṣaguṇaṃ bhavet

Translation

Mais quiconque nourrit ne fût-ce qu’un seul brāhmane demeurant à Dvārakā—ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés—en temps d’abondance, voit le mérite obtenu devenir cent mille fois plus grand.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (विप्रम्)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्/भोजय् (धातु; णिच् causative of भुज्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• विप्रम्: a brāhmaṇa
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• द्वारकायाम्: in Dvārakā
• द्वारकायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• संस्थितम्: residing/settled
• संस्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (विप्रम्)

• सुभिक्षे: in times of plenty
• सुभिक्षे: Adhikaraṇa (Condition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुभिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative of condition/time)

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (द्विजानां श्रेष्ठाः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (address)

• फलम्: the result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject of भवेत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• लक्षगुणम्: a hundred-thousand-fold
• लक्षगुणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (लक्षं गुणाः यस्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (फलम्)

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda (continuation of discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-donor offers a simple but respectful meal to a single Brāhmaṇa resident of Dvārakā; behind them, a bustling anna-kṣetra with orderly service; a subtle aura indicates ‘lakṣa-guṇa’ merit multiplication.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service and hospitality offered in a supremely sacred place like Dvārakā are said to multiply merit enormously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as the meritorious setting where dāna and service gain exceptional potency.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhojana/anna-dāna: feeding a Brāhmaṇa residing in Dvārakā, especially noted during times of abundance.