Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

मन्वंतरसहस्रैस्तु काशीवासेन यत्फलम् । तत्फलं द्वारकावासे वसतां पंचभिर्दिनैः

Transliteration

manvaṃtarasahasraistu kāśīvāsena yatphalam | tatphalaṃ dvārakāvāse vasatāṃ paṃcabhirdinaiḥ

Translation

സഹസ്ര മന്വന്തരങ്ങൾ കാശിയിൽ വസിച്ചതാൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യഫലം, ദ്വാരകയിൽ അഞ്ചുദിവസം വസിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് അതേപോലെ ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• मन्वन्तरसहस्रैः: by thousands of manvantaras
• मन्वन्तरसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; मन्वन्तर + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental: by/with)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• काशीवासेन: by residence in Kāśī
• काशीवासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी-वास (प्रातिपदिक; काशी + वास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental: by dwelling in Kāśī)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative: which)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म (result)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म (result)

• द्वारकावासे: in residence at Dvārakā
• द्वारकावासे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका-वास (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + वास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (place/condition)

• वसताम्: of those who dwell
• वसताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; ‘वसत्’ (dwelling) — genitive plural: of those dwelling

• पञ्चभिः: by five
• पञ्चभिः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (त्रिलिङ्ग), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• दिनैः: days
• दिनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental of duration)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim household arriving at sea-girt Dvārakā, taking lodging for five days, with distant visual echo of Kāśī’s ghāṭas to signify the ‘compressed’ merit comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dvārakā
• Manvantara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma exalts certain tīrthas as extraordinarily grace-filled, where even brief residence yields immense spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is directly glorified, with Kāśī used as the benchmark of supreme tīrtha-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical prescription is implied: reside in Dvārakā for five days to gain exceptional puṇya.