Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

दानैः सर्वैश्च किं तस्य सर्वतीर्थावगाहनैः । द्वारकायाश्च माहात्म्यं येनेदं लिखितं गृहे

Transliteration

dānaiḥ sarvaiśca kiṃ tasya sarvatīrthāvagāhanaiḥ | dvārakāyāśca māhātmyaṃ yenedaṃ likhitaṃ gṛhe

Translation

جس نے اپنے گھر میں یہ دوارکا ماہاتمیہ لکھ لیا، اسے پھر تمام دانوں اور سب تیرتھوں میں اشنان کی کیا حاجت؟

Word by Word

• दानैः: by gifts, by acts of giving
• दानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (दानैः इति)

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

• किम्: what (use/benefit)?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• तस्य: of him/for him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध/Genitive), एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थावगाहनैः: by bathing/immersions in all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थावगाहनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-तीर्थ-अवगाहन (प्रातिपदिक; अवगाहन < अव+गाह् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां तीर्थानाम् अवगाहनानि)

• द्वारकायाः: of Dvārakā
• द्वारकायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (glory)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• येन: by whom/whereby
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक

• लिखितम्: written
• लिखितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिख् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः

• गृहे: in (one’s) house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household shrine room where a devotee completes the written Dvārakā Māhātmya; around the manuscript appear symbolic miniatures of many tīrthas (rivers, ghats, peaks) dissolving into the single text, indicating ‘all-tīrtha’ equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Tīrtha
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya of a supreme tīrtha can concentrate pilgrimage-merit: writing and keeping Dvārakā’s sacred account is extolled as equivalent to extensive charity and universal tīrtha-bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, presented as so meritorious that its māhātmya, when written and kept at home, rivals many other religious acts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Writing the Dvārakā Māhātmya and keeping it in one’s home; implicitly contrasted with dāna and tīrtha-snāna.