Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

चत्वारो द्वारपालाश्च देवाः शूरा विनिर्मिताः । ततो राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण हूयते हव्यवाहनः

Transliteration

catvāro dvārapālāśca devāḥ śūrā vinirmitāḥ | tato rākṣoghnamaṃtreṇa hūyate havyavāhanaḥ

Translation

Vier heldenhafte Gottheiten wurden als Wächter an den Toren eingesetzt. Dann wurden, mit dem rakṣasa-vernichtenden Mantra, Opfergaben in Havyavāhana (Agni) dargebracht.

Word by Word

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective)

• द्वारपालाः: door-guards
• द्वारपालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार + पाल (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्वारस्य पालाः)

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

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• शूराः: valiant
• शूराः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• विनिर्मिताः: were fashioned/created
• विनिर्मिताः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + निर् + √मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थक (made/constructed)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण: by the demon-slaying mantra
• राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस् + घ्न + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राक्षस-घ्नः मन्त्रः)

• हूयते: is offered/ is invoked (as oblation)
• हूयते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• हव्यवाहनः: Agni, the carrier of oblations
• हव्यवाहनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य + वाहन (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हव्यस्य वाहनः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecrated forest clearing turned into a yajña-maṇḍala: four radiant, heroic deities stand as gate-guardians at the cardinal entrances while priests kindle Agni; oblations rise as golden flames, forming a protective aura against shadowy rākṣasa forms at the periphery.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Havyavāhana)
• Devas
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites are protected and empowered through dharmic order—guardianship, purity, and Agni-offerings guided by mantra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Dharmāraṇya (the sacred forest-region praised in this section), though this verse focuses on ritual procedure rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing protective guardians and offering oblations into Agni with a rākṣasa-destroying mantra.