Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततश्च शंखान्भेरीश्च शतशश्चैव पुष्करान् । निवार्य राजमध्यस्थो बर्बरीको वचोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

tataśca śaṃkhānbherīśca śataśaścaiva puṣkarān | nivārya rājamadhyastho barbarīko vaco'bravīt

Translation

Alors Barbarīka, se tenant au milieu des rois, fit taire les conques, les tambours et les centaines de trompettes, puis prononça ces paroles.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• śaṃkhān: conches
• śaṃkhān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• bherīḥ: kettle-drums
• bherīḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bherī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• śataśaḥ: by hundreds
• śataśaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śataśas (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (by hundreds, in hundreds)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• puṣkarān: drums (puṣkara-type)
• puṣkarān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• nivārya: having stopped/restrained
• nivārya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ni + vṛ (वृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); अर्थः—निवार्य = रोकयित्वा (having restrained)

• rājamadhyasthaḥ: standing among the kings
• rājamadhyasthaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāja + madhya + stha (प्रातिपदिक; stha from √sthā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—राज्ञां मध्ये स्थितः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• barbarīkaḥ: Barbarīka
• barbarīkaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: barbarīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vacaḥ: speech, words
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A warrior (Barbarīka) raises a hand to still conches, kettledrums, and trumpets; kings and chariots form a semicircle as he prepares to speak.

Characters & Entities

• Barbarīka
• Kings (rājānaḥ)
• Śaṅkha
• Bherī
• Puṣkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Before decisive speech or action, restraint and order are praised—discipline governs power in dharmic settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse marks a narrative transition in a war-context episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.