Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

पुरे पंचमुखे द्वाःस्थ एकादशभटैर्युतः । साकं नार्या बह्वपत्यः स कथं स्यादचेतनः

Transliteration

pure paṃcamukhe dvāḥstha ekādaśabhaṭairyutaḥ | sākaṃ nāryā bahvapatyaḥ sa kathaṃ syādacetanaḥ

Translation

In der Stadt Pañcamukha stand ein Torhüter, begleitet von elf Wachen, zusammen mit seiner Frau und vielen Kindern—wie könnte ein solcher Mann ohne Verstand oder ohne Verantwortung sein?

Word by Word

• pure: in the city
• pure: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• paṃcamukhe: in Pañcamukha (five-faced place)
• paṃcamukhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘पञ्चमुखे’ = in (the city) Pañcamukha / five-faced (place-name/epithet)

• dvāḥsthaḥ: a doorkeeper
• dvāḥsthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāḥstha (प्रातिपदिक; द्वार् + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘द्वाःस्थः’ = doorkeeper/guard

• ekādaśa-bhaṭaiḥ: with eleven soldiers
• ekādaśa-bhaṭaiḥ: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘एकादशभटैः’ = with eleven soldiers

• yutaḥ: accompanied
• yutaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘युक्तः’ = joined/attended by

• sākam: together with
• sākam: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सह-अर्थे)

• nāryā: with a woman (wife)
• nāryā: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• bahu-apatyaḥ: having many children
• bahu-apatyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + apatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = ‘बहूनि अपत्यानि यस्य सः’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• katham: how
• katham: Avyaya (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक)

• syāt: could be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• acetanaḥ: unconscious; senseless
• acetanaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + cetana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अचेतनः’ = not conscious/insensible

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcamukha-pura

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a fortified city gate: a doorkeeper stands alert with a staff, flanked by eleven armed guards; behind him, his wife and several children appear, underscoring his responsibilities; the city bears subtle five-faced Śaiva emblematic motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcamukha (city/place-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly duties and family obligations demand awareness and responsibility; negligence is indefensible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A place called Pañcamukha is mentioned, but no explicit tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of pilgrimage merit) is stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses a social example to stress accountability.