Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

जाताट्टअहासा दुर्नासा वह्निकुण्डसमेक्षणा । प्रोद्यत्किलकिलारावा ददाह सकलं जगत्

Transliteration

jātāṭṭaahāsā durnāsā vahnikuṇḍasamekṣaṇā | prodyatkilakilārāvā dadāha sakalaṃ jagat

Translation

Ihr lautes, berstendes Gelächter brach hervor; ihr Antlitz war entstellt, die Augen wie Feuergruben. Mit anschwellendem „kilakila“-Schrei verbrannte sie die ganze Welt.

Word by Word

• जात-अट्टहासा: having burst into loud laughter
• जात-अट्टहासा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (कृदन्त) + अट्टहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘जातः अट्टहासः यस्याः’—whose loud laughter has arisen

• दुर्नासा: with a hideous nose
• दुर्नासा: Viśeṣya-dharma (Epithet/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + नास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘दुष्टा नासा यस्याः’—ugly-nosed / with a terrible nose

• वह्नि-कुण्ड-सम-ईक्षणा: whose eyes are like a fire-pit
• वह्नि-कुण्ड-सम-ईक्षणा: Viśeṣya-dharma (Epithet/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक) + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘वह्निकुण्डवत् समे ईक्षणे यस्याः’—whose eyes are like a fire-pit

• प्रोद्यत्-किलकिल-आरावा: with a rising shrill cry
• प्रोद्यत्-किलकिल-आरावा: Viśeṣya-dharma (Epithet/विशेष्यधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + उद् + यत् (धातु) → प्रोद्यत् (कृदन्त) + किलकिल (अनुकरण-प्रातिपदिक) + आराव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘प्रोद्यन् किलकिलारावः यस्याः’—whose shrill ‘kilakila’ cry is rising

• ददाह: burned
• ददाह: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect—‘burned’

• सकलम्: entire, whole
• सकलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; Accusative singular agreeing with जगत्

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; Accusative singular (object)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Raudrī erupts in loud, cracking laughter; her face is dreadful; her eyes are like blazing fire-pits; a piercing ‘kilakila’ shriek rises as flames engulf the worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Raudrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It dramatizes pralaya (cosmic dissolution), urging humility and refuge in dharma rather than pride in transient power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā milieu), but no single tīrtha is explicitly praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse is purely descriptive.