Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

पुरे पंचमुखे द्वाःस्थ एकादशभटैर्युतः । साकं नार्या बह्वपत्यः स कथं स्यादचेतनः

Transliteration

pure paṃcamukhe dvāḥstha ekādaśabhaṭairyutaḥ | sākaṃ nāryā bahvapatyaḥ sa kathaṃ syādacetanaḥ

Translation

പഞ്ചമുഖ നഗരത്തിൽ പതിനൊന്ന് ഭടന്മാരോടുകൂടിയ ദ്വാരപാലകൻ, ഭാര്യയും അനേകം മക്കളും കൂടെയുണ്ടായിരിക്കെ—അവൻ എങ്ങനെ അചേതനൻ (ഉത്തരവാദിത്വമില്ലാത്തവൻ) ആകും?

Word by Word

• pure: in the city
• pure: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• paṃcamukhe: in Pañcamukha (five-faced place)
• paṃcamukhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘पञ्चमुखे’ = in (the city) Pañcamukha / five-faced (place-name/epithet)

• dvāḥsthaḥ: a doorkeeper
• dvāḥsthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāḥstha (प्रातिपदिक; द्वार् + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘द्वाःस्थः’ = doorkeeper/guard

• ekādaśa-bhaṭaiḥ: with eleven soldiers
• ekādaśa-bhaṭaiḥ: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘एकादशभटैः’ = with eleven soldiers

• yutaḥ: accompanied
• yutaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘युक्तः’ = joined/attended by

• sākam: together with
• sākam: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सह-अर्थे)

• nāryā: with a woman (wife)
• nāryā: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• bahu-apatyaḥ: having many children
• bahu-apatyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + apatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = ‘बहूनि अपत्यानि यस्य सः’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• katham: how
• katham: Avyaya (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक)

• syāt: could be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• acetanaḥ: unconscious; senseless
• acetanaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + cetana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अचेतनः’ = not conscious/insensible

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcamukha-pura

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a fortified city gate: a doorkeeper stands alert with a staff, flanked by eleven armed guards; behind him, his wife and several children appear, underscoring his responsibilities; the city bears subtle five-faced Śaiva emblematic motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcamukha (city/place-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly duties and family obligations demand awareness and responsibility; negligence is indefensible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A place called Pañcamukha is mentioned, but no explicit tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of pilgrimage merit) is stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses a social example to stress accountability.