Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अत्युग्रपापराशीनां दाहस्थानं यथा स्मृतम् । द्वारकागमनं विप्राः किं पुनर्द्वारकास्थितिः

Transliteration

atyugrapāparāśīnāṃ dāhasthānaṃ yathā smṛtam | dvārakāgamanaṃ viprāḥ kiṃ punardvārakāsthitiḥ

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! അത്യന്തം ഉഗ്രമായ പാപരാശികൾക്കു ദ്വാരകാഗമനം തന്നെ ‘ദാഹസ്ഥാനം’പോലെ സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; എന്നാൽ ദ്വാരകയിൽ വസിക്കുന്നത് എത്ര മഹത്തരം!

Word by Word

• अत्युग्रपापराशीनाम्: of masses of very terrible sins
• अत्युग्रपापराशीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अत्युग्रपापराशि (प्रातिपदिक; अति + उग्र + पाप + राशि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of heaps of extremely fierce sins'

• दाहस्थानम्: a place of burning (for them)
• दाहस्थानम्: Pradhāna (Predicate-noun/प्रधान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाहस्थान (प्रातिपदिक; दाह + स्थान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — 'burning-place'

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (comparative/manner indeclinable)

• स्मृतम्: is stated/remembered
• स्मृतम्: Karmaṇi-bhāva (Predicative/कर्मणि-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृत (कृदन्त; स्मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — 'remembered/recorded'

• द्वारकागमनम्: going to Dvārakā
• द्वारकागमनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारकागमन (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + गमन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'going to Dvārakā'

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), बहुवचन — address

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — interrogative pronoun

• पुनः: then; moreover
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्यवाचक-अव्यय (again/then; intensifier)

• द्वारकास्थितिः: staying in Dvārakā
• द्वारकास्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारकास्थिति (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + स्थिति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'staying in Dvārakā'

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprāḥ / munīśvarāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims on a long road toward the western sea; as they walk, dark smoke-like forms (sins) are shown dissolving in a purifying fire-aura; finally, Dvārakā appears on the horizon, and a second panel suggests peaceful dwelling within the city’s sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage itself is transformative: the sincere act of setting out toward the sacred already begins the purification of deep wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, praised as a sin-burning kṣetra whose very approach purifies.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is yātrā (pilgrimage) to Dvārakā and, even more, residence/sojourn there; no further rite is specified.