Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

बालक्रीडनकं स्थानं ये स्मरंति दिनेदिने । स्वर्णशैलपदं नृणां जायते राजसत्तम

Transliteration

bālakrīḍanakaṃ sthānaṃ ye smaraṃti dinedine | svarṇaśailapadaṃ nṛṇāṃ jāyate rājasattama

Translation

ข้าแต่ราชาผู้ประเสริฐ ผู้ใดระลึกถึงทุกวันถึงสถานที่ซึ่งพระผู้เป็นเจ้าได้ทรงเล่นลีลาในวัยเยาว์ ผู้นั้นย่อมบังเกิดการบรรลุถึงฐานะ/แดน ‘ภูเขาทอง’

Word by Word

• बालक्रीडनकम्: children’s play-place (playground)
• बालक्रीडनकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक्रीडनक (प्रातिपदिक) < बाल + क्रीडनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (बालस्य क्रीडनकम्)

• स्थानम्: place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• स्मरन्ति: remember
• स्मरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• दिने: in (each) day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (locative of time)

• दिने: day by day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (dine-dine = daily)

• स्वर्णशैलपदम्: the state/position of (being on) the golden mountain
• स्वर्णशैलपदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्णशैलपद (प्रातिपदिक) < स्वर्ण + शैल + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्णस्य शैलस्य पदम् / स्वर्णशैलस्य पदम्)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• जायते: arises/comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• राजसत्तम: O best of kings
• राजसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) < राजन् + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (राजा एव सत्तमः)

Speaker

Unknown (within Dvārakā Māhātmya narration; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a royal listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bāla-krīḍana-sthāna (līlā-sthāna) in Dvārakā sphere

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tender scene of child Kṛṣṇa playing—running, laughing, holding a butter ball—set against a sacred spot marked by a small shrine; an elderly king listens to the teaching while devotees perform mental worship.

Characters & Entities

• (Kṛṣṇa implied)
• bālakrīḍā-sthāna (childhood play-place)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily remembrance of divine līlā and its sacred setting is treated as a powerful purifier and giver of exalted spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific ‘childhood play-place’ (līlā-sthāna) associated with the Lord, within the Dvārakā Māhātmya sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Smaraṇa—regular, daily remembrance of the sacred līlā-place.