Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा कोलाहलं शब्दं कर्णत्रोटनजं तदा । धाविता रक्षकास्तत्र राजशासनकारकाः

Transliteration

śrutvā kolāhalaṃ śabdaṃ karṇatroṭanajaṃ tadā | dhāvitā rakṣakāstatra rājaśāsanakārakāḥ

Translation

Al oír ese sonido clamoroso —surgido del desgarramiento de las orejas— corrieron allí los guardias, aquellos encargados de hacer cumplir el mandato del rey.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action): ‘having heard’

• कोलाहलम्: uproar
• कोलाहलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोलाहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative Singular Neuter)

• शब्दम्: sound
• शब्दम्: Karma (Object; apposition to कोलाहलम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative Singular Masculine)

• कर्णत्रोटनजम्: ear-splitting
• कर्णत्रोटनजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of शब्दम्/कोलाहलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रोटन (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative Singular Neuter); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: कर्णत्रोटनात् जातम् (born from/causing ear-splitting)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• धाविताः: rushed
• धाविताः: Kriyā (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक कृदन्त (past participle used finitely), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘ran/hurried’

• रक्षकाः: guards
• रक्षकाः: Karta (Subject/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Nominative Plural Masculine)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• राजशासनकारकाः: executors of the king’s command
• राजशासनकारकाः: Karta (Appositional to रक्षकाः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज (प्रातिपदिक) + शासन (प्रातिपदिक) + कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: राज्ञः शासनस्य कारकाः (doers/executors of the king’s order)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (contextual narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience within the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Guards, alerted by the uproar, rush with urgency through narrow lanes toward the water/ghāṭ, carrying weapons and torches, embodying the king’s authority.

Characters & Entities

• king (rājā)
• guards (rakṣakāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rāja-dharma—public protection and swift response to wrongdoing—is portrayed as a necessary pillar supporting social order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra as the sacred region where the narrative unfolds, linking worldly governance with a tīrtha’s moral atmosphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse concerns administrative duty and immediate response to a disturbance.