Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तावद्वृक्षसमारूढां स्त्रियं रक्ताम्बरावृताम् । रक्तमाल्यां तदा बालां रक्तचन्दनचर्चिताम् । रक्ताभरणशोभाढ्यां पाशहस्तां ददर्श ह

Transliteration

tāvadvṛkṣasamārūḍhāṃ striyaṃ raktāmbarāvṛtām | raktamālyāṃ tadā bālāṃ raktacandanacarcitām | raktābharaṇaśobhāḍhyāṃ pāśahastāṃ dadarśa ha

Translation

ثم رأى امرأة قد اعتلت شجرة، متلفّعة بثياب حمراء؛ فتاةً يافعةً تتزيّن بإكليل أحمر، مطليّة بصندلٍ أحمر؛ متألّقة بحُليّ حمراء، وفي يدها حبلٌ ذو عُقدة (لاسو).

Word by Word

• tāvat: then/meanwhile
• tāvat: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थे (meanwhile/then)

• vṛkṣa-samārūḍhām: mounted on a tree
• vṛkṣa-samārūḍhām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa + sam-ā-rūḍha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समारूढ (PPP of √ruh)

• striyam: a woman
• striyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• rakta-ambara-āvṛtām: covered with red garments
• rakta-ambara-āvṛtām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + ambara + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); आवृत (PPP of √vṛ)

• rakta-mālyām: wearing a red garland
• rakta-mālyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + mālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Avyaya (Adverb/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• bālām: a young girl
• bālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• rakta-candana-carcitām: smeared with red sandal paste
• rakta-candana-carcitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + candana + carcita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); चर्चित (PPP of √carc)

• rakta-ābharaṇa-śobhā-āḍhyām: rich in the beauty of red ornaments
• rakta-ābharaṇa-śobhā-āḍhyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + ābharaṇa + śobhā + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• pāśa-hastām: having a noose in her hand
• pāśa-hastām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśa + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः = 'whose hand has a noose'

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ha: indeed
• ha: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-saṅgama (contextual)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young woman perched on a tree branch, entirely in red—garments, garland, sandal paste, ornaments—holding a noose (pāśa), radiant yet unsettling against the green forest.

Characters & Entities

• Woman/maiden (unnamed)
• Pāśa (noose)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa uses striking iconography to signal a liminal, sacred encounter—often indicating divine agency, karmic consequence, or a test of discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself describes the encounter; the broader setting remains the Revā Khaṇḍa’s saṅgama/tīrtha context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, emphasizing symbolic attributes (red attire, pāśa).