Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

दुर्लभो द्वारकावासो दुर्लभं कृष्णदर्शनम् । दुर्लभं गोमतीस्नानं दुर्लभो रुक्मिणीपतिः

Transliteration

durlabho dvārakāvāso durlabhaṃ kṛṣṇadarśanam | durlabhaṃ gomatīsnānaṃ durlabho rukmiṇīpatiḥ

Translation

ದ್ವಾರಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸವು ದುರ್ಲಭ, ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣದರ್ಶನ ದುರ್ಲಭ. ಗೋಮತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ದುರ್ಲಭ, ರುಕ್ಮಿಣೀಪತಿ ಪ್ರಭುವೂ ದುರ್ಲಭನು.

Word by Word

• durlabhaḥ: rare; hard to obtain
• durlabhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: seeing Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gomatī-snānam: bathing in the Gomatī (river)
• gomatī-snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• durlabhaḥ: rare
• durlabhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rukmiṇī-patiḥ: the lord of Rukmiṇī (Kṛṣṇa)
• rukmiṇī-patiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā; Gomati-snānā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn on the Gomati ghāṭa in Dvārakā, hands folded after snāna, gazing toward the temple where Rukmiṇīpati Kṛṣṇa is envisioned; the city’s sea-facing grandeur suggests the ‘rare’ fortune of residence and darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Gomatī
• Kṛṣṇa
• Rukmiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to sacred place, sacred river, and divine darśana is a rare grace; one should value and seek it with devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā and the Gomati river associated with it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomatī-snānā (bathing in the Gomati) and seeking Kṛṣṇa-darśana.