Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

श्वेतमूर्धा श्वेतमाली जयन्तानुचराश्च ते । एते शस्त्रोद्यतकरा रक्षन्ते तमहर्निशम्

Transliteration

śvetamūrdhā śvetamālī jayantānucarāśca te | ete śastrodyatakarā rakṣante tamaharniśam

Translation

ശ്വേതമൂർധനും ശ്വേതമാലിയും ജയന്തന്റെ അനുചരന്മാരാണ്. ഇവർ കൈകളിൽ ആയുധങ്ങൾ ഉയർത്തി ആ (നഗരത്തെ) പകലും രാത്രിയും കാക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• śvetamūrdhā: Śvetamūrdhā (name)
• śvetamūrdhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta-mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक; श्वेत + मूर्धन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śvetamālī: Śvetamālī (name)
• śvetamālī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta-mālin (प्रातिपदिक; श्वेत + मालिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• jayantānucarāḥ: attendants of Jayanta
• jayantānucarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jayanta-anucara (प्रातिपदिक; जयन्त + अनुचर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• śastrodyatakarāḥ: with hands raised holding weapons; weapon-ready
• śastrodyatakarāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śastra-udyata-kara (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + उद्यत + कर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषणम्; (udyata = past passive participle from उद्-यम्)

• rakṣante: they protect
• rakṣante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• aharniśam: day and night
• aharniśam: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar-niśā (प्रातिपदिक; अहः + निशा)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग: ‘day and night’

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śvetamūrdhā and Śvetamālī, attendants of Jayanta, stand as pale/white-marked sentinels; a rotating guard keeps watch with weapons raised through day and night.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Jayanta
• Śvetamūrdhā
• Śvetamālī
• Dvārakā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred space is continuously guarded; remembrance of the guardians affirms the ever-active protection surrounding dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, portrayed as perpetually protected by divine attendants.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is stated; the verse supports the broader instruction to acknowledge Jayanta’s attendants.