Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

दुर्लभो द्वारकावासो दुर्लभं कृष्णदर्शनम् । दुर्लभं गोमतीस्नानं दुर्लभो रुक्मिणीपतिः

Transliteration

durlabho dvārakāvāso durlabhaṃ kṛṣṇadarśanam | durlabhaṃ gomatīsnānaṃ durlabho rukmiṇīpatiḥ

Translation

دوارکا میں سکونت نہایت نایاب ہے؛ کرشن کے درشن بھی نایاب ہیں۔ گومتی میں اشنان نایاب ہے؛ رُکمِنی کے پتی پرمیشور بھی نایاب ہیں۔

Word by Word

• durlabhaḥ: rare; hard to obtain
• durlabhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvārakā-vāsaḥ: dwelling in Dvārakā
• dvārakā-vāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, एकवचन

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: seeing Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-darśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• durlabham: rare
• durlabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gomatī-snānam: bathing in the Gomatī (river)
• gomatī-snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• durlabhaḥ: rare
• durlabhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rukmiṇī-patiḥ: the lord of Rukmiṇī (Kṛṣṇa)
• rukmiṇī-patiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā; Gomati-snānā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn on the Gomati ghāṭa in Dvārakā, hands folded after snāna, gazing toward the temple where Rukmiṇīpati Kṛṣṇa is envisioned; the city’s sea-facing grandeur suggests the ‘rare’ fortune of residence and darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Gomatī
• Kṛṣṇa
• Rukmiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to sacred place, sacred river, and divine darśana is a rare grace; one should value and seek it with devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā and the Gomati river associated with it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomatī-snānā (bathing in the Gomati) and seeking Kṛṣṇa-darśana.