Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

द्वारकायाश्च माहात्म्यं यत्र नो जागरे पठेत् । तन्म्लेच्छसदृशं स्थानमपवित्रं परित्यजेत्

Transliteration

dvārakāyāśca māhātmyaṃ yatra no jāgare paṭhet | tanmlecchasadṛśaṃ sthānamapavitraṃ parityajet

Translation

凡在神圣守夜之时不诵读《德瓦拉卡圣德赞》（Māhātmya）之处，当视为近似弥勒叉之地、污秽不净；应当舍离此处。

Word by Word

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• māhātmyam: the greatness (glory)
• māhātmyam: Karma (object of 'paṭhet')
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (relative locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/अवसर-वाचक (relative adverb: where/when)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• u: indeed/at all
• u: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: u (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/particle; here with na = 'indeed not')

• jāgare: during the night-vigil
• jāgare: Adhikarana (time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; 'जागर' = जागरण-काल (night vigil)

• paṭhet: should recite/read
• paṭhet: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paṭh (पठ्, अध्ययन/पाठे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (of sthānam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—विशेषण (that)

• mleccha-sadṛśam: like a barbarian (impure)
• mleccha-sadṛśam: Visheshana (of sthānam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mleccha (प्रातिपदिक) + sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-भावार्थे तत्पुरुष (म्लेच्छवत्/म्लेच्छस्य सदृशम्)

• sthānam: place
• sthānam: Karta (subject of implied 'is')
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• apavitram: impure
• apavitram: Visheshana (of sthānam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + pavitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (negated adjective)

• parityajet: should abandon
• parityajet: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tyaj (त्यज्, परित्यागे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa context within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A night vigil in a temple courtyard: devotees seated with palm-leaf manuscripts, lamps burning, reciting Dvārakā-māhātmya; the ‘impure’ alternative shown as a silent, neglected shrine without lamps or chanting.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is activated by practice: recitation and vigil sustain purity and dharmic identity of a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā—specifically its Māhātmya as a sanctifying text tied to vigil-recitation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reciting the Dvārakā Māhātmya during jāgaraṇa (night-vigil).