Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

अनेकशतसाहस्रा भूमिपा अपि तद्वशाः । हस्त्यश्वरथसंघैश्च पत्तिभिर्बहुभिर्वृतः

Transliteration

anekaśatasāhasrā bhūmipā api tadvaśāḥ | hastyaśvarathasaṃghaiśca pattibhirbahubhirvṛtaḥ

Translation

Des centaines de milliers d’autres rois étaient aussi sous sa suzeraineté ; et il était entouré de vastes troupes d’éléphants, de chevaux, de chars et de nombreux fantassins.

Word by Word

• aneka-śata-sāhasrāḥ: numbering many hundreds and thousands
• aneka-śata-sāhasrāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (संख्यापूर्वक-समाहार/गणनार्थ)

• bhūmipāḥ: kings
• bhūmipāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (bhūmeḥ pāḥ = kings)

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), ‘also/even’

• tad-vaśāḥ: subject to him, under his control
• tad-vaśāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तस्य वशाः = under his control)

• hasti-aśva-ratha-saṃghaiḥ: by troops/companies of elephants, horses, and chariots
• hasti-aśva-ratha-saṃghaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (हस्त्यश्व-रथानां संघाः)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• pattibhiḥ: by foot-soldiers
• pattibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• bahubhiḥ: many
• bahubhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• vṛtaḥ: surrounded
• vṛtaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicate (State of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘वृत’ = surrounded

Speaker

Prahlāda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic royal procession: elephants with bells, cavalry lines, chariots with banners, and dense infantry surrounding King Nṛga—an image of overwhelming sovereignty.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power and vast dominion are secondary; the Purāṇa uses such grandeur to contrast with the inevitability of karmic results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Dvārakā Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, connected to Kṛṣṇa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it describes the king’s political and military might.