Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तथा प्रेतैश्च भूतैश्च कपटैः परिवारिता । वीरभद्रादयश्चैव गणाः परमदारुणाः । ये दक्षयज्ञनाशार्थे शिवेनाज्ञापितास्तदा

Transliteration

tathā pretaiśca bhūtaiśca kapaṭaiḥ parivāritā | vīrabhadrādayaścaiva gaṇāḥ paramadāruṇāḥ | ye dakṣayajñanāśārthe śivenājñāpitāstadā

Translation

นางถูกห้อมล้อมด้วยเปรตและภูต ตลอดจนเหล่าสัตว์อำมหิตผู้มีเล่ห์กลน่าสะพรึงกลัว วีรภัทรและคณะคณะคณะ (คณะของศิวะ) อื่น ๆ อันดุร้ายยิ่ง คือผู้ที่พระศิวะทรงบัญชาในกาลนั้นเพื่อทำลายยัญพิธีของทักษะ

Word by Word

• तथा: likewise, thus
• तथा: Sambandha (discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/अनुक्रमसूचक (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• प्रेतैः: by/with the pretas (ghosts)
• प्रेतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction ‘and’)

• भूतैः: by/with the bhūtas (spirits)
• भूतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

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

• कपटैः: by/with the deceitful ones (tricksters)
• कपटैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• परिवारिता: surrounded
• परिवारिता: Visheshana (predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√vṛ (वृञ्/वृ—धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle: ‘surrounded’)

• वीरभद्रादयः: Vīrabhadra and others
• वीरभद्रादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrabhadra + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘वीरभद्रः आदिः येषाम्’ (Vīrabhadra and others)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• गणाः: troops, attendants
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• परमदारुणाः: most dreadful
• परमदारुणाः: Visheshana (adjective of gaṇāḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (‘अत्यन्तं दारुणाः’)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• दक्षयज्ञनाशार्थे: for (the purpose of) the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice
• दक्षयज्ञनाशार्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa + yajña + nāśa + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन; हेतौ/उद्देश्ये (locative of purpose: ‘for the purpose of destroying Dakṣa’s sacrifice’)

• शिवेन: by Śiva
• शिवेन: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• आज्ञापिताः: commanded, ordered
• आज्ञापिताः: Visheshana (predicate adjective of ye/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√jñā (ज्ञा—धातु) + ṇic (णिच्) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle: ‘commanded/ordered’)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying procession of Śiva’s gaṇas—Vīrabhadra at the fore—surrounded by Pretas and Bhūtas, moving with the mandate to shatter Dakṣa’s sacrifice; smoke, ash, and broken yajña implements implied.

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Bhūtas
• Vīrabhadra
• Gaṇas
• Śiva
• Dakṣa
• Dakṣa-yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma cannot be upheld by pride-filled ritual alone; when sacrifice is severed from reverence and humility, it collapses under divine justice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra is the narrative setting; the verse connects Kedāra’s Śaiva mahatmya to the wider Śiva mythos (Dakṣa-yajña).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No; rather, it warns implicitly that yajña must be aligned with devotion and proper honor to Śiva.