Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दृष्टो देवैस्ततः सर्वैदंडपाणिगणेन च । देवानां प्रेक्षतां तत्र दण्डपाणिर्महागणः । चक्रोद्यतकरं दृष्ट्वा विष्णुं प्राहाब्जलोचनम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭo devaistataḥ sarvaidaṃḍapāṇigaṇena ca | devānāṃ prekṣatāṃ tatra daṇḍapāṇirmahāgaṇaḥ | cakrodyatakaraṃ dṛṣṭvā viṣṇuṃ prāhābjalocanam

Translation

ततः सर्वैर्देवैर्दण्डपाणिगणेन च स दृष्टः। तत्र देवानां प्रेक्षतां दण्डपाणिर्महागणः, चक्रोद्यतकरं विष्णुं दृष्ट्वा, अब्जलोचनं तमुवाच।

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriyā (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• devaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘devaiḥ’ विशेषण

• daṇḍapāṇi-gaṇena: by the troop of Daṇḍapāṇi
• daṇḍapāṇi-gaṇena: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘दण्डः पाणौ यस्य’ इति दण्डपाणिः) + षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘दण्डपाणिनः गणः’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• prekṣatām: while watching
• prekṣatām: Kāla (Simultaneous action/काल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural), ‘while (they) were watching’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• daṇḍapāṇiḥ: Daṇḍapāṇi
• daṇḍapāṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहिरूढ (‘दण्डः पाणौ यस्य’)

• mahāgaṇaḥ: the great attendant (leader of a troop)
• mahāgaṇaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘महान् गणः’)

• cakra-udyata-karam: having hand raised with the discus
• cakra-udyata-karam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + udyata (उद्+यम् धातु, क्त) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे), ‘whose hand is raised with the discus’; ‘viṣṇum’ विशेषण

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having seen’

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object of ‘prāha’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• prāha: said, spoke
• prāha: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• abja-locanam: lotus-eyed
• abja-locanam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abja (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘अब्जे इव लोचने यस्य’), ‘viṣṇum’ विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine court at Prabhāsa: devas assembled; Viṣṇu stands with Sudarśana-discus raised; the gaṇa Daṇḍapāṇi steps forward, staff in hand, addressing the lotus-eyed Lord to avert catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Gaṇas
• Viṣṇu (lotus-eyed)
• Cakra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When power escalates toward destruction, wise guardians (gaṇas) intervene—dharma includes timely counsel and de-escalation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene belongs to Prabhāsa kṣetra’s sacred narrative orbit, associated with Somnātha and Kālabhairava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets up a dialogue that will guide conduct rather than prescribe a rite.