Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

तस्मादन्यत्सरस्वत्यां तीर्थं द्वारवती स्मृतम् । तीर्थानां प्रवरं देवि यत्र संनिहितो हरिः

Transliteration

tasmādanyatsarasvatyāṃ tīrthaṃ dvāravatī smṛtam | tīrthānāṃ pravaraṃ devi yatra saṃnihito hariḥ

Translation

അവിടെ നിന്ന് സരസ്വതിയിൽ ‘ദ്വാരവതീ’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള മറ്റൊരു തീർത്ഥം സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഹേ ദേവീ, തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ ഇത് ശ്രേഷ്ഠം; കാരണം അവിടെ ഹരി സന്നിഹിതനാണ്.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति तद्-शब्दस्य पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपं; अव्ययीभावेन (ablatival adverbial) ‘तस्मात्/अतः’ = ‘therefore/from that’

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘tīrtham’)

• सरस्वत्याम्: in/at the (river) Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta/Viṣaya (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• द्वारवती: Dvāravatī (name of the tīrtha)
• द्वारवती: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition to ‘tīrtham’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• स्मृतम्: is said/known (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriyā (Predicative verbal notion)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘(it) is called/known’

• तीर्थानाम्: of (all) tīrthas
• तीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive)

• प्रवरम्: the best; excellent
• प्रवरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘tīrtham’)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (vocative)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb), स्थानवाचकम् ‘where’

• संनिहितः: present; stationed
• संनिहितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘hariḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-नि-धा (धातु) → संनिहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘present/nearby’

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced; vocative 'devī' retained from source narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (on Sarasvatī, Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Hari presence at a Sarasvatī-bank tīrtha named Dvāravatī: a small Viṣṇu shrine with tulasī, flags, and pilgrims; the river glows as if sanctified by proximity to Dvārakā’s aura.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī River
• Dvāravatī Tīrtha
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes ‘foremost’ when the Divine abides there; presence (saṃnidhi) is the heart of māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvāravatī Tīrtha on the Sarasvatī, sanctified by the presence of Hari (Viṣṇu).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the implied practice is darśana and worship of Hari at Dvāravatī tīrtha.