Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अनुगम्यमानो बहुभिर्भूतैरपि भयंकरः । सिंहशार्दूलवदनैर्वदनोल्लिखितांबरैः

Transliteration

anugamyamāno bahubhirbhūtairapi bhayaṃkaraḥ | siṃhaśārdūlavadanairvadanollikhitāṃbaraiḥ

Translation

അനേകം ഭൂതങ്ങൾ അനുഗമിച്ചിട്ടും അവൻ അത്യന്തം ഭയങ്കരൻ ആയിരുന്നു—സിംഹ-ശാർദൂലമുഖികൾ ചുറ്റിനിന്നു; അവരുടെ ഉയർന്ന മുഖങ്ങൾ ആകാശത്തെ തന്നെ ചുരണ്ടുന്നതുപോലെ തോന്നി।

Word by Word

• अनुगम्यमानः: being followed
• अनुगम्यमानः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-गम् (धातु) + यमान (कृत्, शानच्/मान)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्तः—मान/शानच् (present passive participle sense), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘being followed’

• बहुभिः: by many
• बहुभिः: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भूतैः: by beings/spirits
• भूतैः: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक निपात (particle: also/even)

• भयङ्करः: terrifying
• भयङ्करः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय-कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भयं करोति)

• सिंहशार्दूलवदनैः: with lion- and tiger-like faces
• सिंहशार्दूलवदनैः: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिंह-शार्दूल-वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (सिंहवदनैः शार्दूलवदनैः च)

• वदनोल्लिखिताम्बरैः: with garments/sky scratched/torn by their faces (i.e., faces reaching/scraping the sky)
• वदनोल्लिखिताम्बरैः: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वदन-उल्लिखित-अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वदनेन उल्लिखितम् अम्बरं येषाम्)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from narrative continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce guardian strides forward, trailed by a multitude of bhūtas with lion and tiger faces; their raised heads seem to scrape the sky, forming a towering, tumultuous procession.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection can appear formidable; fearsome forms may function as guardians within the sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, whose māhātmya portrays the potency and guardianship surrounding the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.