Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

भीमरूपे सुरूपे च महाविद्ये महाबले । महोदये महाकाये जयदेवि महाव्रते

Transliteration

bhīmarūpe surūpe ca mahāvidye mahābale | mahodaye mahākāye jayadevi mahāvrate

Translation

النصر لكِ أيتها الإلهة—مهيبةُ الهيئة ومع ذلك جميلة؛ يا ذاتَ الحكمة العظمى، يا ذاتَ القوة العظمى؛ يا من يشرق لكِ بهاءٌ عظيم وجسدٌ جليل—النصر لكِ، حافظةَ النذر العظيم.

Word by Word

• भीमरूपे: O of terrible form
• भीमरूपे: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīma + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय; 'of terrifying form'

• सुरूपे: O of beautiful form
• सुरूपे: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of beautiful form'

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction 'and'

• महाविद्ये: O Mahāvidyā
• महाविद्ये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'great knowledge / Mahāvidyā (epithet)'

• महाबले: O greatly powerful one
• महाबले: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great strength'

• महोदये: O of great prosperity
• महोदये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great rising/prosperity'

• महाकाये: O of vast body
• महाकाये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of huge body'

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jaya (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बोधनार्थ निपात)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• महाव्रते: O of great vow
• महाव्रते: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great vow/observance'

Speaker

Niṣadhādhipati (the lord/king of Niṣadha), offering Devī-stuti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devī is depicted with a formidable, expansive body and radiant rising splendor, yet with a beautiful face; symbols of wisdom (book/rosary or luminous yantra-like aura) accompany martial power; the king’s chant crescendos.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahāvidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divinity contains both awe-inspiring fierceness and radiant beauty; power and wisdom are one in the Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is stuti within a tīrtha chapter; the specific location is not named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The epithet “mahāvrate” points to great observance; no step-by-step vrata procedure is stated here.