Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

शंखभेरीनिनादेन दुन्दुभिध्वनितेन च । गर्जद्भिर्गणवृन्दैश्च मेघस्वनितनिस्वनैः

Transliteration

śaṃkhabherīninādena dundubhidhvanitena ca | garjadbhirgaṇavṛndaiśca meghasvanitanisvanaiḥ

Translation

ശംഖ-ഭേരികളുടെ നിനാദത്താലും ദുന്ദുഭികളുടെ ഗംഭീരധ്വനിയാലും ഗർജ്ജിക്കുന്ന ഗണവൃന്ദങ്ങളാലും—മേഘഗർജ്ജനപോലെ ആ നാദം പരന്നു മുഴങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• शंखभेरीनिनादेन: by the sound of conches and drums
• शंखभेरीनिनादेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + भेरी (प्रातिपदिक) + निनाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (निनाद), तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘शङ्खभेर्योः निनादेन’ (by the sound of conches and kettle-drums)

• दुन्दुभिध्वनितेन: by the booming of the dundubhi
• दुन्दुभिध्वनितेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुन्दुभि (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वनित (कृदन्त; √ध्वन् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (ध्वनित), तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘दुन्दुभेः ध्वनितेन’ (by the reverberation of the dundubhi drum)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• गर्जद्भिः: with roaring (ones)
• गर्जद्भिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्जत् (कृदन्त; √गर्ज् (धातु) शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ) ‘roaring’

• गणवृन्दैः: with groups of gaṇas
• गणवृन्दैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक) + वृन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (वृन्द), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘गणानां वृन्दैः’ (with groups of attendants/gaṇas)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• मेघस्वनितनिस्वनैः: with thunder-like reverberations
• मेघस्वनितनिस्वनैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वनित (कृदन्त; √स्वन् (धातु) क्त) + निस्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (निस्वन), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘मेघस्वनितसदृशैः निस्वनैः’ (with sounds like thunderclouds)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A thunderous festival scene: conches blaring, bherīs and dundubhis booming, while roaring gaṇa-hosts fill the air with a cloud-like rumble around the Prabhāsa shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇa
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sound (nāda) is a form of worship; the tīrtha becomes a living proclamation of Śiva’s glory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, portrayed as echoing with divine, thunder-like auspicious sounds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of śaṅkha and drums in ceremonial worship and festival processions (utsava) to sanctify the directions with sound.