Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

भैरवाः क्षेत्रपालाश्च येऽन्ये च क्षेत्रवासिनः । श्मशानवासिनश्चान्ये येऽन्ये न्यग्रोधवासिनः

Transliteration

bhairavāḥ kṣetrapālāśca ye'nye ca kṣetravāsinaḥ | śmaśānavāsinaścānye ye'nye nyagrodhavāsinaḥ

Translation

เหล่าภัยรวะและเขตร์ปาละผู้พิทักษ์เขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์ พร้อมทั้งผู้อยู่อาศัยในถิ่นนั้นอื่น ๆ—บางพวกอยู่ป่าช้า และบางพวกพำนักใกล้ต้นไทร (นยโครธะ)—

Word by Word

• भैरवाः: Bhairavas
• भैरवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• क्षेत्रपालाः: guardians of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रपालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रपाल (प्रातिपदिक) [क्षेत्र + पाल]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षेत्रस्य पालाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (ye इत्यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• क्षेत्रवासिनः: residents of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक) [क्षेत्र + वासिन्]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (क्षेत्रे वासिनः)

• श्मशानवासिनः: dwellers in cremation grounds
• श्मशानवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्मशानवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक) [श्मशान + वासिन्]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (श्मशाने वासिनः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (ye इत्यस्य)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• न्यग्रोधवासिनः: dwellers at/under banyan trees
• न्यग्रोधवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यग्रोधवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक) [न्यग्रोध + वासिन्]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (न्यग्रोधे वासिनः)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedārakṣetra (guardian precincts)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of Bhairavas and kṣetrapālas stands at the edges of Kedāra’s sacred precinct; some figures dwell near a cremation-ground boundary, others beneath massive banyan canopies, all portrayed as protective presences watching over pilgrims and shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairavas
• Kṣetrapālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva sacred space includes fierce protectors and liminal beings; holiness embraces both auspicious and terrifying guardianship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse reflects the Śaiva kṣetra (sacred precinct) environment typical of Kedāra-region sanctuaries.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it enumerates categories of beings associated with the sacred field and its guardians.