Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स्वच्छमौक्तिकसंकाशं प्राकारशिखरावृतम् । नन्दीश्वरमहाकालद्वारपालगणैर्वृतम्

Transliteration

svacchamauktikasaṃkāśaṃ prākāraśikharāvṛtam | nandīśvaramahākāladvārapālagaṇairvṛtam

Translation

അത് നിർമ്മല മുത്തുപോലെ പ്രകാശിച്ചു, പ്രാകാരങ്ങളും ഉയർന്ന ശിഖരങ്ങളും ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി; നന്ദീശ്വരൻ, മഹാകാലൻ മുതലായ ദ്വാരപാലഗണങ്ങൾ കാവൽ നിന്നിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• svaccha-mauktika-saṃkāśam: resembling clear pearls
• svaccha-mauktika-saṃkāśam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svaccha (प्रातिपदिक) + mauktika (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mauktikasya saṃkāśaḥ; svaccha-viśeṣaṇa)

• prākāra-śikhara-āvṛtam: enclosed by rampart-tops/turrets
• prākāra-śikhara-āvṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhara (प्रातिपदिक) + ā-√vṛ (वृ—आवरणे)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (prākāraśikharaiḥ āvṛtam = enclosed by wall-towers/crests)

• nandīśvara-mahākāla-dvārapāla-gaṇaiḥ: by groups of gate-guards (like Nandīśvara and Mahākāla)
• nandīśvara-mahākāla-dvārapāla-gaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandīśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + mahākāla (प्रातिपदिक) + dvārapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-श्रृंखला (nandīśvara/mahākāla-सम्बद्धाः dvārapālāḥ; तेषां gaṇaiḥ)

• vṛtam: surrounded
• vṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (वृ—वरणे/आवरणे)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (surrounded)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (guarded precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gleaming, pearl-white fortified enclosure with ramparts and high turrets; at the main gate stand Nandīśvara (bull-bannered, serene strength) and Mahākāla (dark, time-fierce, protective), surrounded by gaṇa gatekeepers.

Characters & Entities

• Nandīśvara
• Mahākāla
• Dvārapālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The purity and protection of the sacred realm symbolize the guarded sanctity of dharma and tīrtha-traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The description belongs to the divine assembly space (Kailāsa), forming the narrative foundation for Prabhāsa’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.