Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दृष्टो देवैस्ततः सर्वैदंडपाणिगणेन च । देवानां प्रेक्षतां तत्र दण्डपाणिर्महागणः । चक्रोद्यतकरं दृष्ट्वा विष्णुं प्राहाब्जलोचनम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭo devaistataḥ sarvaidaṃḍapāṇigaṇena ca | devānāṃ prekṣatāṃ tatra daṇḍapāṇirmahāgaṇaḥ | cakrodyatakaraṃ dṛṣṭvā viṣṇuṃ prāhābjalocanam

Translation

Then he was seen by all the gods and by the hosts of Daṇḍapāṇi. While the gods looked on there, Daṇḍapāṇi, the great gaṇa, seeing Viṣṇu with hand raised to cast the discus, spoke to the lotus-eyed one.

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriyā (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• devaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘devaiḥ’ विशेषण

• daṇḍapāṇi-gaṇena: by the troop of Daṇḍapāṇi
• daṇḍapāṇi-gaṇena: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘दण्डः पाणौ यस्य’ इति दण्डपाणिः) + षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘दण्डपाणिनः गणः’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• prekṣatām: while watching
• prekṣatām: Kāla (Simultaneous action/काल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural), ‘while (they) were watching’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• daṇḍapāṇiḥ: Daṇḍapāṇi
• daṇḍapāṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहिरूढ (‘दण्डः पाणौ यस्य’)

• mahāgaṇaḥ: the great attendant (leader of a troop)
• mahāgaṇaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘महान् गणः’)

• cakra-udyata-karam: having hand raised with the discus
• cakra-udyata-karam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + udyata (उद्+यम् धातु, क्त) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे), ‘whose hand is raised with the discus’; ‘viṣṇum’ विशेषण

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having seen’

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object of ‘prāha’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• prāha: said, spoke
• prāha: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• abja-locanam: lotus-eyed
• abja-locanam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abja (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘अब्जे इव लोचने यस्य’), ‘viṣṇum’ विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine court at Prabhāsa: devas assembled; Viṣṇu stands with Sudarśana-discus raised; the gaṇa Daṇḍapāṇi steps forward, staff in hand, addressing the lotus-eyed Lord to avert catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Gaṇas
• Viṣṇu (lotus-eyed)
• Cakra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When power escalates toward destruction, wise guardians (gaṇas) intervene—dharma includes timely counsel and de-escalation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene belongs to Prabhāsa kṣetra’s sacred narrative orbit, associated with Somnātha and Kālabhairava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets up a dialogue that will guide conduct rather than prescribe a rite.