Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दैत्येश्वर नराः श्लाघ्या द्वारवत्यां गताश्च ये

Transliteration

daityeśvara narāḥ ślāghyā dvāravatyāṃ gatāśca ye

Translation

اے دَیتیہوں کے سردار! جو لوگ دواروتی گئے ہیں، وہ یقیناً قابلِ ستائش ہیں۔

Word by Word

• दैत्य: demon (Daitya)
• दैत्य: Samāsa-pūrvapada (compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular) (समासाङ्ग)

• ईश्वर: O lord
• ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• दैत्य-ईश्वर: O lord of the Daityas
• दैत्य-ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lord of the Daityas)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• श्लाघ्याः: praiseworthy
• श्लाघ्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ‘narāḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्लाघ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• द्वारवत्याम्: in Dvāravatī
• द्वारवत्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• गताः: gone/arrived
• गताः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ‘narāḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; direct address suggests a dialogue with a Daitya leader in this passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityeśvara (lord of the Daityas) (as addressed in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of pilgrims approaching Dvārakā’s gates—flags, water pots, staffs, and offerings—while a narrator addresses a ‘daitya-lord’ figure, emphasizing that even adversarial beings must acknowledge the pilgrims’ worth.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya (addressed)
• Dwāravatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a supremely sacred place is itself a mark of commendable spiritual aspiration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwāravatī (Dwārakā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is tīrtha-yātrā—going to Dwāravatī as a meritorious act.