Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

क्रीडनं गोकुलस्यैव क्रीडा गोपीजनस्य च । कृष्णावतारकर्माणि श्रोतव्यानि पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

krīḍanaṃ gokulasyaiva krīḍā gopījanasya ca | kṛṣṇāvatārakarmāṇi śrotavyāni punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

गोकुलस्य क्रीडनं तथा गोपीजनस्यापि क्रीडा, कृष्णावतारकर्माणि श्रोतव्यानि पुनःपुनः।

Word by Word

• क्रीडनम्: play, sporting
• क्रीडनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गोकुलस्य: of Gokula
• गोकुलस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• क्रीडा: sport, play
• क्रीडा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• गोपीजनस्य: of the group of gopīs
• गोपीजनस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गोपीनां जनः), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• कृष्णावतारकर्माणि: deeds of Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation
• कृष्णावतारकर्माणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + अवतार (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कृष्णस्य अवतारस्य कर्माणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• श्रोतव्यानि: to be heard, should be listened to
• श्रोतव्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + तव्य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पुनः: again (repeatedly)
• पुनः: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), पुनरुक्ति द्वारा आवृत्त्यर्थ

Speaker

Pitṛs (continuation; promoting śravaṇa as meritorious dharma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokula/Vraja (invoked) within Dvārakā-māhātmya practice

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pastoral Gokula: child Kṛṣṇa playing with calves, gopīs in a circle of dance and song; scenes arranged as repeating panels to suggest ‘again and again’ hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Gokula
• Gopīs
• Kṛṣṇa
• Avatāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Repeated listening to Kṛṣṇa’s līlās is upheld as a sustaining bhakti-discipline that purifies and uplifts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though the episodes reference Gokula, the teaching appears within the Dvārakā Māhātmya’s devotional framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devotional hearing) of Kṛṣṇa’s avatāra deeds, repeatedly (punaḥ punaḥ).