Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मुशली प्रभुरेतेषां संनद्धो वर्तते द्विजाः । रक्षन्ति नैरृतीमाशां पश्चिमां शृणुतापरान्

Transliteration

muśalī prabhureteṣāṃ saṃnaddho vartate dvijāḥ | rakṣanti nairṛtīmāśāṃ paścimāṃ śṛṇutāparān

Translation

“ਹੇ ਦ੍ਵਿਜੋ, ਮੁਸ਼ਲੀ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਵਚਧਾਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਵਜੋਂ ਵਿਦਮਾਨ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਨੈਰ੍ਰਿਤੀ (ਦੱਖਣ-ਪੱਛਮ) ਦਿਸ਼ਾ ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ; ਹੁਣ ਪੱਛਮੀ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਵੀ ਸੁਣੋ।”

Word by Word

• मुशली: Muśalī (proper name)
• मुशली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुशलिन्/मुशली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (नाम; 'one bearing a pestle')

• प्रभुः: lord; master
• प्रभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• संनद्धः: armed; equipped
• संनद्धः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-नह् (धातु) → नद्ध (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies मुशली/प्रभुः)

• वर्तते: is present; remains
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन

• रक्षन्ति: protect
• रक्षन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• नैरृतीम्: southwestern
• नैरृतीम्: Karma (Object-Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैरृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies आशाम्)

• आशाम्: direction
• आशाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पश्चिमाम्: western
• पश्चिमाम्: Karma (Object-Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies आशाम्; appositional/second object)

• शृणुत: hear; listen
• शृणुत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन

• अपरान्: others (the remaining ones)
• अपरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (अपरान् जनान्/अन्यान्—elliptic)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An armoured lord ‘Muśalī’ stands at the south-west corner of Dvārakā, commanding attendant guardians; the narration pivots to the western quarter’s protectors.

Characters & Entities

• Muśalī
• Nairṛti (direction)
• Paścima (west)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are upheld by dharmic order, symbolized through directional guardians and their leaders.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā and its kṣetra-protection, as narrated in the Dvārakā-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse provides a directional mapping of guardians.