Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

सिंहारूढा महादेवि नानाशस्त्रास्त्रधारिणी । सुवक्त्रा विंशतिभुजा स्फूर्जद्विद्युल्लतोपमा

Transliteration

siṃhārūḍhā mahādevi nānāśastrāstradhāriṇī | suvaktrā viṃśatibhujā sphūrjadvidyullatopamā

Translation

راكبةً على أسدٍ، يا مهاديفي، حاملةً شتّى الأسلحة والمقذوفات الإلهية؛ بهيّة الوجه، ذاتَ عشرين ذراعًا، تتلألأ كوميضِ البرق.

Word by Word

• सिंहारूढा: mounted on a lion
• सिंहारूढा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिंह + आरूढ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √रुह्/रुह्-आ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समास: सिंहम् आरूढा (mounted on a lion)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; महा + देवी

• नाना: various
• नाना: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विशेषणार्थ (various)

• शस्त्र: weapons (hand-held)
• शस्त्र: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (stem in compound), बहुवचनार्थ (in compound)

• अस्त्र: missiles (projectiles)
• अस्त्र: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (stem in compound), बहुवचनार्थ (in compound)

• धारिणी: bearing various weapons and missiles
• धारिणी: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृ (धातु) + णिनि-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सा); समास: नाना-शस्त्र-अस्त्र-धारिणी (bearer of various weapons and missiles)

• सुवक्त्रा: fair-faced
• सुवक्त्रा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• विंशतिभुजा: twenty-armed
• विंशतिभुजा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विंशति + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; द्विगु: विंशतिः भुजाः यस्याः

• स्फूर्जत्: flashing
• स्फूर्जत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier in compound)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फूर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्गे समासपूर्वपद); विशेषणार्थ (flashing)

• विद्युत्: lightning
• विद्युत्: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (in compound)

• लता: creeper/vine
• लता: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (in compound)

• उपमा: comparable to a lightning creeper
• उपमा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष: (विद्युल्लता)-उपमा = like a lightning-vine

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ambikā/Durgā appears in Prabhāsa: seated on a lion, radiant like lightning, twenty arms fanning outward, each hand holding a distinct weapon; the sky behind is charged with storm-light, suggesting imminent battle.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Siṃha (lion mount)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power (Śakti) actively defends cosmic order; her many arms symbolize limitless capacities to protect devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Goddess’s martial manifestation is narrated as part of the site’s sacred grandeur.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is primarily a dhyāna-style depiction suitable for devotional remembrance (smaraṇa).