Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

वामनेन स्वयं गत्वा क्षेत्रपालास्तु पूजिताः । पुरा युगादौ राजेंद्र सर्वे देवाः समागताः

Transliteration

vāmanena svayaṃ gatvā kṣetrapālāstu pūjitāḥ | purā yugādau rājeṃdra sarve devāḥ samāgatāḥ

Translation

วามนะเสด็จไปด้วยพระองค์เอง แล้วบูชาทวยผู้พิทักษ์เขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ครั้นกาลดึกดำบรรพ์ ณ ปฐมแห่งยุค ข้าแต่พระราชา เหล่าเทพทั้งปวงได้มาชุมนุม ณ ที่นั้น

Word by Word

• वामनेन: by Vāmana
• वामनेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मनिष्ठा-निर्देशक

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्तः (क्त्वा), absolutive/gerund; ‘having gone’

• क्षेत्रपालाः: the guardians of the sacred place
• क्षेत्रपालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र-पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य पालाः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (but/indeed)

• पूजिताः: were worshipped
• पूजिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; past passive participle

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• युगादौ: at the beginning of the age
• युगादौ: Adhikarana (Time-location/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (युगस्य आदौ)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (to देवाः)

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• समागताः: assembled / came together
• समागताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; past participle

Speaker

Narrator addressing a king (listener implied by “rājendra”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (kṣetrapāla-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vāmana, radiant and youthful, approaches the sacred boundary and worships fierce yet benevolent kṣetrapālas; in the sky and around, devas assemble as if at the dawn of an age.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Kṣetrapāla
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted divine forms honor the kṣetrapālas—teaching pilgrims humility and proper reverence when entering a holy place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vastrāpatha sacred precinct in Prabhāsa, renowned as a gathering-place of the gods.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of kṣetrapālas (guardian deities) as an entry/precedence practice at the kṣetra.