Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अमरैरावृतां पुण्यां पुण्यकृद्भिर्निषेविताम् । एवं तां द्वारकां त्यक्त्वा प्रभासं कथमागतः

Transliteration

amarairāvṛtāṃ puṇyāṃ puṇyakṛdbhirniṣevitām | evaṃ tāṃ dvārakāṃ tyaktvā prabhāsaṃ kathamāgataḥ

Translation

«Dvārakā est sainte, entourée des Immortels et fréquentée par ceux qui accomplissent le mérite. Malgré cela, comment l’a-t-il quittée pour venir à Prabhāsa ?»

Word by Word

• अमरैः: by the immortals (gods)
• अमरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• आवृताम्: covered/surrounded
• आवृताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ√वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• पुण्याम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• पुण्यकृद्भिः: by the doers of merit (the pious)
• पुण्यकृद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + कृद् (प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातोः कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पुण्यं करोति इति), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Tatpurusha compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• निषेविताम्: frequented/served
• निषेविताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि√सेव् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण — Indeclinable adverb (manner)

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Pronoun, Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• द्वारकाम्: Dvārikā
• द्वारकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• त्यक्त्वा: having left
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — Absolutive (gerund), ‘having abandoned’

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण — Interrogative adverb

• आगतः: came/has come
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय) परस्मैपद-प्रयोगे भूतार्थे, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle used as finite sense, Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (praised) and Prabhāsa (destination)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional contrast: radiant Dvārakā filled with devas and pilgrims, yet Hari departs toward Prabhāsa; the scene can show a luminous city receding as the coastal sacred field approaches.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Dvārakā
• Prabhāsa
• Devas (Amaras)
• Hari (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A place’s holiness is real, yet divine will may direct even the highest beings toward another kṣetra for a specific cosmic teaching or culmination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is highlighted as the destination worthy of inquiry even when contrasted with the celebrated sanctity of Dvārakā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse strengthens the tīrtha-māhātmya frame by comparing sacred destinations.