Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

द्वारपालाश्च के तत्र कः पूर्वं कश्च पृष्ठतः । पुरीयं सर्वतो दैत्य तिष्ठते केन पालिता

Transliteration

dvārapālāśca ke tatra kaḥ pūrvaṃ kaśca pṛṣṭhataḥ | purīyaṃ sarvato daitya tiṣṭhate kena pālitā

Translation

അവിടെ ദ്വാരപാലകർ ആരെല്ലാം? മുൻവശത്ത് ആരും പിന്നിൽ ആരും നില്ക്കുന്നു? ഹേ ദൈത്യാ, ഈ പുരി എല്ലാദിക്കിലും ആരാൽ സംരക്ഷിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു?

Word by Word

• द्वारपालाः: gatekeepers
• द्वारपालाः: Karta (Topic/कर्ता-प्रश्नविषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार + पाल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्वारस्य पालाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (and)

• के: who (are)
• के: Karta (Interrogative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb: there)

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Interrogative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• पूर्वम्: in front / earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-vishesana (Position/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: काल/दिशावाचक-अव्ययम् (before/in front)

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Interrogative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (and)

• पृष्ठतः: behind
• पृष्ठतः: Kriya-vishesana (Position/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; दिशावाचक (from behind/at the back)

• पुरीयम्: this city
• पुरीयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; इदम्-विशेषणार्थे ‘इयम्’ संलग्नार्थः (this city)

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Kriya-vishesana (Extent/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सर्वदिशावाचक (on all sides)

• दैत्य: O Daitya
• दैत्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• तिष्ठते: stands / remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• केन: by whom
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (m./n.), तृतीया (3rd case/करण), एकवचनम्; प्रश्नवाचक

• पालिता: protected
• पालिता: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पाल् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (past passive participle) — ‘(सा) पालिता’ (is protected)

Speaker

Unspecified (a questioner addressing a Daitya; likely interlocutor in the Prahlāda dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Prahlāda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages gesture toward an imagined city-plan, asking who stands at the front/back and who guards each side of Dvārakā’s gates.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Daitya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are upheld by divine order—protection and sanctity are maintained by appointed guardians, not merely by human power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, the sacred city of Keśava/Kṛṣṇa, presented in the Dvārakā Māhātmya of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse introduces an inquiry that leads into instructions about worship of the gate-guardians.