Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

एतेङ्गरक्षका मध्ये शतकोटिगणैर्वृताः । एवं रक्षंति बहवो ह्यसंख्येया गणेश्वराः

Transliteration

eteṅgarakṣakā madhye śatakoṭigaṇairvṛtāḥ | evaṃ rakṣaṃti bahavo hyasaṃkhyeyā gaṇeśvarāḥ

Translation

Au milieu de ces gardiens, entourés de centaines de crores de gaṇas de Śiva, d’innombrables seigneurs des troupes veillent et protègent, eux aussi, sans relâche.

Word by Word

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• aṅga-rakṣakāḥ: limb-guards / protectors of the quarters (guards)
• aṅga-rakṣakāḥ: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अङ्गानां रक्षकाः)

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘in the middle’

• śata-koṭi-gaṇaiḥ: by troops numbering a hundred crores
• śata-koṭi-gaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (शतकोटयः गणाः)

• vṛtāḥ: surrounded
• vṛtāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘surrounded’

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus)

• rakṣanti: they protect
• rakṣanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• bahavaḥ: many
• bahavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• asaṃkhyeyāḥ: countless
• asaṃkhyeyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-saṃkhyeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• gaṇeśvarāḥ: lords of the gaṇas
• gaṇeśvarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गणानाम् ईश्वराः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual attribution within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṣetrapālāḥ madhye; teṣāṃ paritaḥ śata-koṭi-gaṇāḥ—bhūta, pramatha, vīrabhadra-sadṛśāḥ; ākāśe dhūma-prabhā, tejas, śūla-ḍamaru-dhvaja; kṣetraṃ rakṣanti nirantaraṃ.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Gaṇeśvaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred kṣetra is not merely a location; it is divinely protected, inspiring faith and reverence in pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), the domain associated with Someshvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the kṣetra’s divine protection.