Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच । श्रुत्वा सर्वोत्तमं क्षेत्रं तीर्थं सर्वोत्तमोत्तमम् । देवोत्तमोत्तमं देवं श्रीकृष्णं क्लेशनाशनम्

Transliteration

śrīprahlāda uvāca | śrutvā sarvottamaṃ kṣetraṃ tīrthaṃ sarvottamottamam | devottamottamaṃ devaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ kleśanāśanam

Translation

Śrī Prahlāda disse: Tendo ouvido sobre o mais excelente lugar sagrado, sobre o tīrtha supremo entre os supremos, e sobre o Deus que é o melhor dos melhores—Śrī Kṛṣṇa, o destruidor das aflições—

Word by Word

• śrīprahlādaḥ: Śrī Prahlāda
• śrīprahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् प्रह्लादः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• sarvottamam: the best (supreme)
• sarvottamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• kṣetram: holy place/region
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tīrtham: pilgrimage ford; sacred place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sarvottamottamam: the best of the best
• sarvottamottamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvottama + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अतिशयार्थक कर्मधारयः (सर्वोत्तमानाम् उत्तमम्)

• devottamottamam: the supreme among the best of gods
• devottamottamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva + uttama + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (देवेषु उत्तमानाम् उत्तमम्)

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śrīkṛṣṇam: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• śrīkṛṣṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् कृष्णः)

• kleśanāśanam: destroyer of afflictions
• kleśanāśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kleśa + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्लेशस्य नाशनः)

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Other tīrthas/personified sacred entities and/or the narrative audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda, serene and radiant, speaks in devotional awe; behind him a vision of Dvārakā as the supreme kṣetra and Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the supreme deity, emanating a calming light that dissolves suffering.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• tīrtha
• kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The supreme tīrtha and the supreme Lord are inseparable: devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and reverence for Dvārakā remove suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘sarvottama kṣetra’ and ‘sarvottamottama tīrtha’ refer to Dvārakā in this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse centers on śravaṇa (hearing) and praise of Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the remover of afflictions.