Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

ततस्तथैव संतस्थौ बर्बरीकोऽभिरक्षणे । ततश्चतुर्थे यामे च प्राप्तः क्षपणकोऽद्भुतः

Transliteration

tatastathaiva saṃtasthau barbarīko'bhirakṣaṇe | tataścaturthe yāme ca prāptaḥ kṣapaṇako'dbhutaḥ

Translation

随后，巴尔巴利迦（Barbarīka）仍如先前般驻守其处，守护戒备。到了夜间第四更，一位奇异的苦行者——刹帕那迦（kṣapaṇaka）——来到。

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = thereafter/then

• tathā: thus/in the same way
• tathā: Prakāra (Manner adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — in that manner

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/अवधारण) — emphasis/only

• saṃtasthau: stood still/remained
• saṃtasthau: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्-; अर्थ: stood/paused

• barbarīkaḥ: Barbarīka
• barbarīkaḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: barbarīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• abhirakṣaṇe: in protection/guarding
• abhirakṣaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhirakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: अभि-; अर्थ: in guarding/protection

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — thereafter

• caturthe: in the fourth
• caturthe: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘चतुर्थ’ = fourth (qualifying ‘yāme’)

• yāme: in the watch/period
• yāme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; time-watch/period

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — and

• prāptaḥ: arrived
• prāptaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp + pra (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्त’ = having arrived/arrived

• kṣapaṇakaḥ: a shaven ascetic/monk (kṣapaṇaka)
• kṣapaṇakaḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣapaṇaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• adbhutaḥ: wonderful/astonishing
• adbhutaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; qualifying ‘kṣapaṇakaḥ’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moonlit sacrificial enclosure at night; Barbarīka stands guard, alert and armed, as a strange ascetic approaches from the darkness in the fourth watch.

Characters & Entities

• Barbarīka
• Kṣapaṇaka (ascetic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protection of holy ground is continuous vigilance; spiritual encounters often follow steadfast duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same local sacred zone previously identified (Sīka-uttara/Eka-pada śmaśāna region) where Barbarīka keeps guard.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse notes the timing (fourth yāma) and a narrative arrival.