Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अनिर्वाच्यं तदा चक्रुर्गणाः क्रोधसमन्विताः । अंतर्वेद्यंतरगतो दक्षो वै महतो भयात्

Transliteration

anirvācyaṃ tadā cakrurgaṇāḥ krodhasamanvitāḥ | aṃtarvedyaṃtaragato dakṣo vai mahato bhayāt

Translation

ಆಗ ಕ್ರೋಧದಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದ ಗಣರು ವರ್ಣಿಸಲಾಗದ ಕೃತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಮಹಾಭಯದಿಂದ ದಕ್ಷನು ಯಜ್ಞವೇದಿಯ ಒಳಪ್ರಾಂಗಣಕ್ಕೆ ಜಾರಿ ಅಡಗಿಕೊಂಡನು.

Word by Word

• अनिर्वाच्यम्: something indescribable
• अनिर्वाच्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाच्य (कृदन्त/ण्यत् from वच् with निर्-) + अ- (निषेध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नञ्-समासभाव (anirvācya = indescribable)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• चक्रुः: did / made
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• गणाः: the gaṇas
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• क्रोधसमन्विताः: filled with anger
• क्रोधसमन्विताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त/क्त from सम्-अन्वि-√इ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (क्रोधेन समन्विताः = accompanied by anger)

• अन्तर्वेदि: inside the altar area
• अन्तर्वेदि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर् (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + वेदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (अन्तः वेद्याः = inside the altar-enclosure)

• अन्तरगतः: having gone inside
• अन्तरगतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर् (अव्यय) + गत (कृदन्त/क्त from गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (अन्तः गतः = gone inside/entered within)

• दक्षः: Dakṣa
• दक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• महतः: great
• महतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; भयात् इत्यस्य विशेषण (of great)

• भयात्: from fear
• भयात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Wrathful gaṇas commit unspeakable acts across the yajña-ground; Dakṣa, terrified, slips into the inner altar precinct, half-hidden among posts, vessels, and the vedi boundary.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Dakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual power without humility and devotion collapses; arrogance in dharma invites ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage sits within Kedārakhaṇḍa’s sacred geography (Kedāra/Kailāsa milieu), though this verse itself is narrative rather than a direct tīrtha-phala statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse references the sacrificial vedi (altar precinct) as the setting.