Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

दुर्लभो द्वारकावासो दुर्लभं कृष्णदर्शनम् । दुर्लभं गोमतीस्नानं रुक्मिणीदर्शनं कलौ

Transliteration

durlabho dvārakāvāso durlabhaṃ kṛṣṇadarśanam | durlabhaṃ gomatīsnānaṃ rukmiṇīdarśanaṃ kalau

Translation

ಕಲಿಯುಗದಲ್ಲಿ ದ್ವಾರಕಾವಾಸ ದುರ್ಲಭ, ಕೃಷ್ಣದರ್ಶನ ದುರ್ಲಭ; ಪವಿತ್ರ ಗೋಮತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ಮತ್ತು ರುಕ್ಮಿಣೀದರ್ಶನವೂ ದುರ್ಲಭವೇ।

Word by Word

• durlabhaḥ: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabhaḥ: Kriya-samartha (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• dvārakā-vāsaḥ: dwelling in Dvārakā
• dvārakā-vāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (dvārakāyāṃ vāsaḥ)

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Kriya-samartha (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (used predicatively)

• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: seeing Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: Karta/Predicate-noun (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṛṣṇasya darśanam)

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Kriya-samartha (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• gomatī-snānām: bathing in the (river) Gomatī
• gomatī-snānām: Karta/Predicate-noun (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gomatyāḥ snānam)

• rukmiṇī-darśanam: seeing Rukmiṇī
• rukmiṇī-darśanam: Karta/Predicate-noun (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (rukmiṇyāḥ darśanam)

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā; Gomati; Rukmiṇī-kṣetra (within Dvārakā orbit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arriving at coastal Dvārakā at dawn: some bathing in Gomati, others queuing for Kṛṣṇa-darśana, and a separate procession toward Rukmiṇī’s temple; the verse’s ‘durlabha’ is shown by small, earnest groups amid vast seascape.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇa
• Gomatī
• Rukmiṇī
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, the greatest blessings are rare; therefore one should value and seek sacred pilgrimage, holy bathing, and divine darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwārakā, along with the sacred Gomati river associated with the city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomatī-snāna (ritual bathing in the Gomati) and seeking darśana of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī.