Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वीरभद्रो महातेजाः शंकुकर्णो महाबलः । घंटाकर्णश्च दुर्धर्षो मणिभद्रो वृकोदरः

Transliteration

vīrabhadro mahātejāḥ śaṃkukarṇo mahābalaḥ | ghaṃṭākarṇaśca durdharṣo maṇibhadro vṛkodaraḥ

Translation

วีรภัทรผู้โชติช่วงด้วยเดชยิ่ง, ศังคุกรรณะผู้มีกำลังมหาศาล, และฆัณฑากรรณะผู้ยากจะต้านทาน—พร้อมด้วยมณิภัทรและวฤโกทร—ต่างก็อยู่พร้อมหน้า

Word by Word

• vīrabhadraḥ: Vīrabhadra
• vīrabhadraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); समासः—कर्मधारयः (name)

• mahātejāḥ: of great splendor
• mahātejāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘splendor’)

• śaṃkukarṇaḥ: Śaṅkukarṇa
• śaṃkukarṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃku (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-भावः: ‘spike/peg-eared’; name)

• mahābalaḥ: very strong
• mahābalaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘strength’)

• ghaṃṭākarṇaḥ: Ghaṇṭākarṇa
• ghaṃṭākarṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghaṃṭā (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-भावः: ‘bell-eared’; name)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction/समुच्चय)

• durdharṣaḥ: unassailable
• durdharṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dharṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); विशेषणम्; नञ्/दुर्-प्रयोगः (‘hard to assail’)

• maṇibhadraḥ: Maṇibhadra
• maṇibhadraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); समासः—कर्मधारयः (name)

• vṛkodaraḥ: Vṛkodara
• vṛkodaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛka (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-भावः: ‘wolf-bellied’; name)

Speaker

Narrator (context not specified in snippet; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra stands blazing, weapon raised, surrounded by stout gaṇas: Śaṅkukarṇa with exaggerated ear/ornament motif, Ghaṇṭākarṇa with bell-emblems, Maṇibhadra adorned with jewels, and Vṛkodara with a wolf-like or massive-bellied form—each rendered as distinct guardian archetypes.

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• Śaṅkukarṇa
• Ghaṇṭākarṇa
• Maṇibhadra
• Vṛkodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine protects dharma through powerful guardians; the tradition names these forces to cultivate reverence and remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific pilgrimage site is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an enumerative description.