Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

भासुराङ्गा तु संवृत्ता कृष्णसर्पैककुण्डला । चित्रदण्डोद्यतकरा व्याघ्रचर्मोपसेविता

Transliteration

bhāsurāṅgā tu saṃvṛttā kṛṣṇasarpaikakuṇḍalā | citradaṇḍodyatakarā vyāghracarmopasevitā

Translation

Ihre Glieder strahlten in Glanz; als einzigen Ohrring trug sie eine schwarze Schlange. Mit einem wunderbaren Stab in erhobener Hand wurde sie von Tigerfell umhüllt und bedient.

Word by Word

• भासुर-अङ्गा: having shining limbs
• भासुर-अङ्गा: Viśeṣya-dharma (Predicate adjective/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भासुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘भासुराणि अङ्गानि यस्याः सा’—shining-limbed

• तु: indeed, however
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषणार्थक particle

• संवृत्ता: became, turned into
• संवृत्ता: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (State predicate/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + वृत् (धातु) → संवृत्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘became/turned’

• कृष्ण-सर्प-एक-कुण्डला: with a single earring (made of) a black serpent
• कृष्ण-सर्प-एक-कुण्डला: Viśeṣya-dharma (Predicate adjective/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + सर्प (प्रातिपदिक) + एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘कृष्णसर्प एव एकं कुण्डलं यस्याः सा’—having a single earring of a black serpent

• चित्र-दण्ड-उद्यत-करा: with hand raised (holding) a wondrous staff
• चित्र-दण्ड-उद्यत-करा: Viśeṣya-dharma (Predicate adjective/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्यत (कृदन्त) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘चित्रदण्डं उद्यतं करः यस्याः सा’—whose hand is raised holding a variegated staff

• व्याघ्र-चर्म-उपसेविता: clad in/using tiger-skin
• व्याघ्र-चर्म-उपसेविता: Viśeṣya-dharma (Predicate adjective/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उप + सेव् (धातु) → उपसेवित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘व्याघ्रचर्मणा उपसेविता’—clad/attended with tiger-skin

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant yet fearsome goddess stands with blazing limbs; a single black serpent forms her earring; she raises a wondrous staff; tiger-skin drapes her body, signaling wild ascetic power.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The raised staff and radiant body symbolize sovereign spiritual authority: the Goddess disciplines chaos and protects cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the narrative depiction within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.