Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

स्थापयेद्द्वारकायां वै मूर्तिं दारुशिलामयीम् । त्रैलोक्यं स्थापितं तेन विष्णोः सायुज्यतामियात्

Transliteration

sthāpayeddvārakāyāṃ vai mūrtiṃ dāruśilāmayīm | trailokyaṃ sthāpitaṃ tena viṣṇoḥ sāyujyatāmiyāt

Translation

ద్వారకాలో కఱ్ఱ లేదా రాతితో చేసిన భగవానుని మూర్తిని ప్రతిష్ఠించాలి. ఆ పుణ్యక్రియచేత త్రిలోకం స్థాపితమైనట్లై, భక్తుడు విష్ణువుతో సాయుజ్యాన్ని పొందుతాడు.

Word by Word

• sthāpayet: should establish
• sthāpayet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) [णिच् causative: sthāpay]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘should establish’

• dvārakāyām: in Dvārakā
• dvārakāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis

• mūrtim: an image/icon
• mūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dāruśilāmayīm: made of wood and stone
• dāruśilāmayīm: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāru + śilā + mayī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘made of wood-and-stone’ (dāru-śilā dvandva + mayī) qualifying mūrtim

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘the three worlds’

• sthāpitam: established
• sthāpitam: Kriya-visheshana/Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthāpita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; causative of √sthā)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘established’

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (instr.), एकवचन; ‘by him/thereby’

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (gen.), एकवचन

• sāyujyatām: union (with)
• sāyujyatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāyujyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘state of union/identity’

• iyāt: would attain
• iyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘would attain/go to’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee installs a Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa image in coastal Dvārakā; priests perform consecration rites with kalasha, conch, lamps, and Vedic chanting; the sea and city-gates frame the sanctum, suggesting ‘establishing the three worlds’.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Viṣṇu
• trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consecrating a Viṣṇu image in Dvārakā is exalted as world-sustaining merit and leads to the highest devotional consummation—Viṣṇu-sāyujya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, explicitly named as the place where mūrti-pratiṣṭhā yields extraordinary results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mūrti-pratiṣṭhā (installation/consecration) of an image made of wood (dāru) or stone (śilā) in Dvārakā.