Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

गणैरंतर्धानगतैः प्रहारैर्जर्जरीकृताः । लेखको रोहकश्चैव सूचकः शीघ्रगस्तथा

Transliteration

gaṇairaṃtardhānagataiḥ prahārairjarjarīkṛtāḥ | lekhako rohakaścaiva sūcakaḥ śīghragastathā

Translation

അദൃശ്യമായി സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന ഗണങ്ങളുടെ പ്രഹാരങ്ങളാൽ ഞങ്ങൾ തകർന്നു ജർജരിതരായി. ഞങ്ങളിലുണ്ട് ലേഖകൻ, റോഹകൻ, സൂചകൻ, ശീഘ്രഗൻ എന്ന പേരുള്ളവരും.

Word by Word

• gaṇaiḥ: by groups/attendants
• gaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• antardhāna-gataiḥ: who had gone into invisibility/hidden
• antardhāna-gataiḥ: Karana (Qualifier of instrument/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antardhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘अन्तर्धाने गत’ इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः

• prahāraiḥ: by blows/strikes
• prahāraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• jarjarīkṛtāḥ: were battered/crushed
• jarjarīkṛtāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jarjarī-kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• lekhakaḥ: Lekhaka (name)
• lekhakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lekhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rohakaḥ: Rohaka (name)
• rohakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rohaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• sūcakaḥ: Sūcaka (name)
• sūcakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śīghragaḥ: Śīghraga (name; fast-goer)
• śīghragaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शीघ्रः गः’ (fast-goer) कर्मधारय

• tathā: also/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (also/so)

Speaker

Pretas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame) / within episode: Gautama hearing pretas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of tormented pretas, emaciated and dust-covered, recoil as unseen Śiva-gaṇas strike them; the seashore of Prabhāsa with a distant temple silhouette and stormy sky frames their lament.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Pretas
• Lekhaka
• Rohaka
• Sūcaka
• Śīghraga
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are protected by divine order; unseen guardianship symbolizes that purity and reverence govern access to sacred power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The guarded tīrtha associated with Preta-tīrtha/Gātra-vimocana in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse indicates restricted entry enforced by gaṇas, implying the need for proper purification or divine sanction.