Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

दुर्लभा द्वारका विप्र दुर्लभं गोमतीजलम् । दुर्लभं जागरो रात्रौ दुर्लभं कृष्णदर्शनम्

Transliteration

durlabhā dvārakā vipra durlabhaṃ gomatījalam | durlabhaṃ jāgaro rātrau durlabhaṃ kṛṣṇadarśanam

Translation

Ô brāhmane, Dvārakā est rare ; rare est l’eau de la Gomatī ; rare est la veille nocturne ; et rare est la vision de Kṛṣṇa.

Word by Word

• durlabhā: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabhā: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘दुर्लभा’ (hard to obtain)

• dvārakā: Dvaraka
• dvārakā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vipra: O Brahmin
• vipra: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• durlabham: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabham: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; gomatī-jalam इति विशेषण

• gomatī-jalam: water of the Gomati
• gomatī-jalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘गोमती-नद्याः जलम्’

• durlabham: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabham: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; jāgaraḥ इति विशेषण

• jāgaraḥ: night vigil/keeping awake
• jāgaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• durlabham: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabham: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; kṛṣṇa-darśanam इति विशेषण

• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: vision of Krishna
• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘कृष्णस्य दर्शनम्’

Speaker

Narrative voice (addressing a vipra; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā; Gomatī-jala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: vipra (brāhmaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four-panel devotional tableau: (1) pilgrims approaching Dvārakā gates, (2) drawing Gomati water at ghats, (3) night vigil with lamps and kīrtana, (4) radiant Kṛṣṇa-darśana in the temple sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Gomatī
• Kṛṣṇa
• Vipra
• Jāgara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to Dvārakā’s sacred geography and to Kṛṣṇa’s grace (darśana) is portrayed as rare and therefore supremely precious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā and the Gomatī (its sacred waters) are explicitly praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night vigil (jāgara) is highlighted as a rare and valued devotional observance.