Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

माहात्म्यं पठनीयं तु द्वारकासंभवं शुभम् । कृष्णस्य बालचरितं बालकृष्णादिदर्शनम्

Transliteration

māhātmyaṃ paṭhanīyaṃ tu dvārakāsaṃbhavaṃ śubham | kṛṣṇasya bālacaritaṃ bālakṛṣṇādidarśanam

Translation

Sesungguhnya hendaklah dibaca Māhātmya yang suci dan membawa keberkatan, yang berasal dari Dvārakā; dan hendaklah dibaca juga kisah-kisah zaman kanak-kanak Kṛṣṇa, serta riwayat menyaksikan Bāla-Kṛṣṇa dan seumpamanya.

Word by Word

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• पठनीयम्: to be read, should be recited
• पठनीयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पठ् (धातु) + अनीय (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (अनीय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• द्वारकासंभवम्: originating in/connected with Dvārakā
• द्वारकासंभवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक) + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्वारकायाः संभवः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कृष्णस्य: of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• बालचरितम्: childhood deeds
• बालचरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बालस्य चरितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• बालकृष्णादिदर्शनम्: vision of child-Kṛṣṇa and others
• बालकृष्णादिदर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालकृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (बालकृष्णस्य आदीनां दर्शनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Pitṛs (didactic sequence continues; emphasis shifts to śravaṇa/pāṭha as dharma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reciter reads from a palm-leaf manuscript of Dvārakā-māhātmya; listeners sit with folded hands; interwoven visions of Bāla-Kṛṣṇa—butter theft, cradle, and first darśana—appear as narrative tableaux.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇa
• Bāla-Kṛṣṇa
• Māhātmya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reciting sacred place-glories and divine līlās is itself a devotional practice that generates auspiciousness and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, whose Māhātmya is explicitly recommended for recitation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha (recitation) of the Dvārakā Māhātmya and Kṛṣṇa’s bāla-carita narratives.