Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

सर्ववाद्यमयी घंटा केशवस्य सदा प्रिया । वादनाल्लभते पुण्यं यज्ञकोटिफलं नरः

Transliteration

sarvavādyamayī ghaṃṭā keśavasya sadā priyā | vādanāllabhate puṇyaṃ yajñakoṭiphalaṃ naraḥ

Translation

La cloche, qui contient en elle tous les instruments, est à jamais chère à Keśava ; en la faisant sonner, l’homme acquiert un mérite égal au fruit d’un crore de sacrifices (yajña).

Word by Word

• सर्ववाद्यमयी: consisting of all instruments (as it were)
• सर्ववाद्यमयी: विशेषण (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः वाद्यैः मयी = सर्ववाद्य-मयी)

• घंटा: the bell
• घंटा: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घंटा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• केशवस्य: of Keśava
• केशवस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• प्रिया: dear
• प्रिया: विधेय (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• वादनात्: from (its) playing/ringing
• वादनात्: हेतु/अपादान (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वादन (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे (cause/source: 'from/by')

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यज्ञकोटिफलम्: the fruit of a crore of sacrifices
• यज्ञकोटिफलम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञानां कोट्याः फलम्)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive: narrative voice of the Dvārakā Māhātmya (commonly Sūta relating the māhātmya to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A large temple bell hangs before Keśava; a devotee rings it, and the sound is visualized as waves of light filling the sanctum, as if many instruments play at once.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Ghaṇṭā (bell)
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship values purity of intent; even a single sacred sound-offering (bell-ringing) is treated as a complete yajña when offered to Keśava.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava worship culture, where Keśava/Vāsudeva is praised through temple rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ring the bell as part of worship, treating it as a comprehensive sound-offering (nāda-upacāra) pleasing to Keśava.