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

Di tengah para penjaga ini, dikelilingi ratusan krore gaṇa Śiva, para gaṇeśvara yang tak terhitung pun senantiasa berjaga dan melindungi.

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.