Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच । द्वारकायाश्च माहात्म्यं शृणु पौत्र मयोदितम् । शृण्वतो गदतश्चापि मुक्तिः कृष्णाद्भवेद्ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

śrīprahlāda uvāca | dvārakāyāśca māhātmyaṃ śṛṇu pautra mayoditam | śṛṇvato gadataścāpi muktiḥ kṛṣṇādbhaveddhruvam

Translation

శ్రీప్రహ్లాదుడు పలికెను—ఓ మనవడా! నేను చెప్పుచున్న ద్వారకా మహాత్మ్యమును వినుము. దీనిని వినువానికీ, పలుకువానికీ కూడా శ్రీకృష్ణకృపవలన నిశ్చయముగా ముక్తి కలుగును।

Word by Word

• śrīprahlādaḥ: Śrī Prahlāda
• śrīprahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + प्रह्लाद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

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

• dvārakāyāḥ: of Dvārakā
• dvārakāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• māhātmyaṃ: the glory
• māhātmyaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• pautra: O grandson
• pautra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pautra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• uditam: spoken/uttered
• uditam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udita (कृदन्त; √vad/√ud? here: √vad implied 'spoken', but standard udita = √ud 'arisen/uttered')
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'माहात्म्यम्' इति विशेषणम्

• śṛṇvataḥ: of one who listens
• śṛṇvataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śṛṇvat (कृदन्त; √śru)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; 'of (one) listening'

• gadataḥ: of one who speaks/recites
• gadataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gadat (कृदन्त; √gad)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of (one) speaking/reciting'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even)

• muktiḥ: liberation
• muktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/फल-निर्देश

• kṛṣṇāt: from Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• bhavet: would be/comes to be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्) रूपम् 'भवेत्'; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pautra (grandson)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda seated as elder teacher, addressing his grandson; a calm hermitage or temple courtyard; listeners attentive; behind them a symbolic vision of Dvārakā’s spires and the sea, indicating the narrated kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Dvārakā
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (recitation) of a holy site’s māhātmya, centered on Kṛṣṇa, are presented as direct means toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, the sacred abode of Kṛṣṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śṛṇu/śṛṇvataḥ (listening) and gadataḥ (reciting/speaking) the Dvārakā Māhātmya.