Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स्वच्छमौक्तिकसंकाशं प्राकारशिखरावृतम् । नन्दीश्वरमहाकालद्वारपालगणैर्वृतम्

Transliteration

svacchamauktikasaṃkāśaṃ prākāraśikharāvṛtam | nandīśvaramahākāladvārapālagaṇairvṛtam

Translation

وہ شفاف موتیوں کی مانند دمکتا تھا، فصیلوں اور بلند برجوں سے گھرا ہوا؛ اور نندییشور اور مہاکال وغیرہ دربان گنوں کی جماعتیں اس کی نگہبانی کرتی تھیں۔

Word by Word

• svaccha-mauktika-saṃkāśam: resembling clear pearls
• svaccha-mauktika-saṃkāśam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svaccha (प्रातिपदिक) + mauktika (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mauktikasya saṃkāśaḥ; svaccha-viśeṣaṇa)

• prākāra-śikhara-āvṛtam: enclosed by rampart-tops/turrets
• prākāra-śikhara-āvṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhara (प्रातिपदिक) + ā-√vṛ (वृ—आवरणे)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (prākāraśikharaiḥ āvṛtam = enclosed by wall-towers/crests)

• nandīśvara-mahākāla-dvārapāla-gaṇaiḥ: by groups of gate-guards (like Nandīśvara and Mahākāla)
• nandīśvara-mahākāla-dvārapāla-gaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandīśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + mahākāla (प्रातिपदिक) + dvārapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-श्रृंखला (nandīśvara/mahākāla-सम्बद्धाः dvārapālāḥ; तेषां gaṇaiḥ)

• vṛtam: surrounded
• vṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (वृ—वरणे/आवरणे)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (surrounded)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (guarded precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gleaming, pearl-white fortified enclosure with ramparts and high turrets; at the main gate stand Nandīśvara (bull-bannered, serene strength) and Mahākāla (dark, time-fierce, protective), surrounded by gaṇa gatekeepers.

Characters & Entities

• Nandīśvara
• Mahākāla
• Dvārapālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The purity and protection of the sacred realm symbolize the guarded sanctity of dharma and tīrtha-traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The description belongs to the divine assembly space (Kailāsa), forming the narrative foundation for Prabhāsa’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.