Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

बृहस्पतिरुवाच । पञ्चक्रोशप्रमाणं हि तीर्थं तीर्थवरोत्तमम् । द्वारकानाम विख्यातं कलिदोषविवर्जितम्

Transliteration

bṛhaspatiruvāca | pañcakrośapramāṇaṃ hi tīrthaṃ tīrthavarottamam | dvārakānāma vikhyātaṃ kalidoṣavivarjitam

Translation

ബൃഹസ്പതി പറഞ്ഞു—അഞ്ചു ക്രോശം പരിമിതിയുള്ള ഈ തീർത്ഥം തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠോത്തമം; ‘ദ്വാരകാ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധവും കലിദോഷങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തവും ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• बृहस्पतिः: Bṛhaspati
• बृहस्पतिः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• पञ्चक्रोशप्रमाणम्: measuring five krośas
• पञ्चक्रोशप्रमाणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोश (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण—'पञ्चक्रोशः प्रमाणं यस्य' (measure of five krośas)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karta/Pratipādya (Subject/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• तीर्थवरोत्तमम्: the best and supreme among tīrthas
• तीर्थवरोत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण—'तीर्थेषु वरः उत्तमः'

• द्वारका: Dvārakā
• द्वारका: Samjñā (Name in apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Samjñā-bodhaka (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: 'named/called')

• विख्यातम्: renowned, well-known
• विख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि+ख्या (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) विशेषण

• कलिदोषविवर्जितम्: free from the faults of Kali
• कलिदोषविवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; वि+वर्ज् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Surenḍra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati proclaims Dvārakā’s five-krośa sacred expanse as the best of tīrthas, a luminous mandala-like boundary encircling the city by the sea.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Dvārakā
• Kali (Kaliyuga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dvārakā is proclaimed supremely purifying—so powerful that it is said to remain untouched by Kali-yuga’s defects.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā-tīrtha, described as a five-krośa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse chiefly praises the sanctity and scope of the tīrtha.