Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

चत्वारो द्वारपालाश्च देवाः शूरा विनिर्मिताः । ततो राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण हूयते हव्यवाहनः

Transliteration

catvāro dvārapālāśca devāḥ śūrā vinirmitāḥ | tato rākṣoghnamaṃtreṇa hūyate havyavāhanaḥ

Translation

چار بہادر دیوتاؤں کو دروازوں کے نگہبان مقرر کیا گیا۔ پھر راکشسوں کو ہلاک کرنے والے منتر کے ساتھ ہویہ واہن اگنی میں آہوتیاں پیش کی گئیں۔

Word by Word

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective)

• द्वारपालाः: door-guards
• द्वारपालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार + पाल (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्वारस्य पालाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

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

• शूराः: valiant
• शूराः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• विनिर्मिताः: were fashioned/created
• विनिर्मिताः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + निर् + √मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थक (made/constructed)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण: by the demon-slaying mantra
• राक्षोघ्नमंत्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस् + घ्न + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राक्षस-घ्नः मन्त्रः)

• हूयते: is offered/ is invoked (as oblation)
• हूयते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• हव्यवाहनः: Agni, the carrier of oblations
• हव्यवाहनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य + वाहन (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हव्यस्य वाहनः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecrated forest clearing turned into a yajña-maṇḍala: four radiant, heroic deities stand as gate-guardians at the cardinal entrances while priests kindle Agni; oblations rise as golden flames, forming a protective aura against shadowy rākṣasa forms at the periphery.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Havyavāhana)
• Devas
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites are protected and empowered through dharmic order—guardianship, purity, and Agni-offerings guided by mantra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Dharmāraṇya (the sacred forest-region praised in this section), though this verse focuses on ritual procedure rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing protective guardians and offering oblations into Agni with a rākṣasa-destroying mantra.